JAPAN SENDS AID TO VANDALIZED DOWNTOWN AREA
HAMMOND, Louisiana — Japan is among a number of countries offering assistance to buildings in downtown Hammond which this week fell victim to sprayed graffiti classified by area teen rebels as 8.8 on the coolness scale.
At least 10,000 Japanese relief workers are expected to soon arrive at Cate Square to begin the long process of reversing the devastation.
The ongoing recovery of the vandalized Grace Memorial Episcopal Church was marred with controversy as modern art enthusiasts attempted to halt the clean-up of the historic building after an announcement was made by Hammond Police Chief Roddy Devall on Thursday.
Devall revealed that “some brilliant detective work” led local authorities to suspect that Verb, a world-renowned anonymous graffiti artist and political activist, was responsible for the vandalism.
“To erase this street art would deprive our city of an extremely valuable social expression,” said Morris Mamie, an associate professor of art at Southeastern Louisiana University.
Verb, who for the past several years has spray-painted celebrated works of street art on the walls of distinguished locations such as the Taj Mahal, Anne Frank House, and the International Space Station, tagged his trademark “VERB” signature on the vandalized buildings, Devall told HAN Sunday.
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