Murals in Los Angeles, my rant

hi, iam a graffiti artist from los angeles, and i think some of you are taking a very biased point of view on the murals of los angeles. yes graffiti tagging is a problem in los angeles as in many cities, and within the graffiti community there is a division of believes in regard to "tagging" on murals. All things have a good and bad side, FIRE comes to mind, Guns, etc I am of the opinion that tagging on murals is wrong and very disrespectful, but to label tagging and mural art together is just downright uninformed. the murals on the 110 and 101, are very dated, and for the most part are the work of artists in the 80 and 90's, these murals have faded very badly and are not reflective of the people of los angeles. existing murals with olympic circa 1984 themes are an example of the city councils desertion of the people and artists of los angeles. the city let these murals get destroyed, there are protective coatings that can be applied to murals that make them virtually graffiti proof, but this takes stewardship and maintance. The city did not hold up its part of the deal. if a water main breaks, the city repairs it, its there civic duty and paid for in taxes by us the people of los angeles. The same should be true for the murals of los angeles. Bad things happen and you fix them, thats part of keeping the city running. Art, and murals are a reflection a first impression, that the city is alive, that there is culture here, a thriving art scene, that is an important part of a vibrant city. If we do not protect, and encourage art and murals, we might as well change the city colors to grey and beige..... Dash2000 graffiti artist.