Posted on 09/18/2004 7:45:39 AM PDT by Radix
A pair of dim-witted graffiti vandals who videotaped their escapades were caught in the act by cops who only had to hit the rewind button to see them defacing a North End statue earlier this week, police said.
``Who does this? Where do these kids come from?'' resident Tony Guarino said after seeing the vandalism to the Christopher Columbus statue Thursday morning. ``Anything that's nice, they ruin it.''
Police believe the vandalism was inflicted by Waleed Zaiter of Randolph and George Cox of Jamaica Plain, who were busted with Krylon cans in hand during an ill-advised video shoot early yesterday.
A pair of cops said Cox was standing behind the camera at 12:12 a.m. yesterday while a masked Zaiter was preparing to do his worst on a Jamaica Plain sidewalk at 95 Brookside Ave. - two doors down from one of the suspect's homes.
Zaiter managed only a couple of lines before the cops slapped the cuffs on.
The small-time bust turned into a Hollywood home run when cops reviewed the videotape and watched images of Zaiter defacing the Columbus statue in the North End and tagging a Randolph McDonald's restaurant with the words, ``FREE PALESTINE.''
Cox and Zaiter pleaded innocent to one count each of tagging public property and were ordered held on $3,000 cash bail. A spokesman for the Suffolk District Attorney's office said an investigation is ongoing into the incidents on the videotape and may result in additional charges.
Lawyers for Cox and Zaiter protested the $3,000 bail, arguing it was too high for the two 27-year-old college graduates who have no prior records. ``My client is saying he didn't do this,'' said Cox's attorney, Thomas Karp.
But the cops who busted the pair early yesterday said they found them toting around a veritable graffiti arts store, including 54 cans of spray paint, seven stencils with anti-war messages and, of course, the video camera with tripod.
Police believe the pair did their worst on the Columbus statue early Thursday, dousing it with blood-red paint and scrawling the word ``murderer'' across the statue's base.
Brilliant defense there, Tom. I can see why he keeps you around.
What do we call them? Idealists? Activists? Future waiters?
Who wants to bet they have nipple rings and bathe rarely?
Sheesh, how hoity-toity. We just call him Ronald out here.
Will their Senators vouch for their patriotism and years of service to the community?
~snip~
"Cox and Zaiter pleaded innocent to one count each of tagging public property..."
~snip~
"Lawyers for Cox and Zaiter protested the $3,000 bail, arguing it was too high for the two 27-year-old college graduates who have no prior records. 'My client is saying he didn't do this,' said Cox's attorney, Thomas Karp."
And because the punk(s) said they didn't do it and in spite of their own video showing the exact opposite it's YOUR professional "legal opinion" to advise the miscreant/client(s) to plead "Innocent"?
>Is that right?
HA!!
You've a fitting name, Mr. Karp.
...your advice is greasy.
If they are not native born Americans, deport them.
http://www.socialjusticeeducation.org/Staff_Biographies.htm#walid
Waleed Zaiter is a self-taught video artist living in the Boston area. He was born in Beirut in 1977. His favorite things are graffiti art, breakers, apanimation, capoeira, liberation movements (esp. the Intifada), undermining white supremacy, and troublemaking. He dislikes flag-waving, sucka emcees, and Rambo.
Social Justice Education, my left nad!!! Maybe I'll try to contact him and rub it in.
Finally, something I can relate to.
First thing I would do as presecutor is get a search warrant and look for more video tapes.
As we often say at our department, "If the crooks were smart, this job would be a lot harder..."
Seeing how we never catch all of these domestic terrorists, I am strongly in favor of making the ones we do catch pay a big price for their crimes.
he'll probably get an NEA grant now...
Oh poor babies! I think I may barf. They should be fined the full amount of money that it would take to do a professional cleaning and then be made to do the clean-up themselves with a toothbrush!
Who pays them?? This is rabble.
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