Mad Painter

someone stop this dude!

Legalized Vandalism and Vigilantism in New Orleans

What a mean spirited little golum is this Fred Radtke? A vigilante who dashes gray paint over public and private property wherever he spots graffiti or advertising posters, who is allowed to roam the streets with impunity and deface public and private property at whim, sometimes covering public safety signs (stop signs, for example) in his demented quest to cover all of the city’s graffiti.

An interesting turn of urban life is all it was, until Radtke took off after folk artist Michael Dingler and his NOLA Rising project. Today’s Citibusiness weekly reports that Radtke initiated a complaint and resulted in Dingler be charged with 1,100 counts of unlawfully posting signs on telephone poles that could cost him more than $50,000 in fines.

Dingler explains his act of civic art making on the NOLA Rising blog in a June 2007 posting. This is a public art installation, not criminal activity. Sadly, the N.O.P.D. seems to agree with Radtke, who’s own clearl acts of vandalism of public and private property they condone and even encourage.

The New Orleans Police Department, however, condones Radtke’s actions. NOPD often calls him directly to cover graffiti and spokesman Sgt. Joe Narcisse said they have no intention of charging Radtke with any crimes.

I can’t believe that the city has given tens of thousands of dollars to some mean-spirited freak so he can spread his own form of ugly paint-based vandalism all over public and private property at his own whim. I have no problem with the city removing or covering obvious gang tags. However, by going after street artists like the NOLA Rising group or even unknownparts and his sort–artists who appropriate public space for what is arguably art–Radtke is no different than the tagger thugs.

This is insane. I just fired of a letter to my City Council Person Shelly Midura demanding Radtke be required to return the tens of thousands of city tax dollars he’s been given, that all charges against Dingler be dropped, and that the N.O.P.D officers who colluded in Radtke’s vendetta against Dingler should be required to apologize, if not in fact be fired for their collusion in Radkte’s own campaign of vandalism.

What NOLA Rising has done is a tremendous work of civic betterment, one tiny poster at a time, contributed to by tens if not hundreds of people. It is a bright spot in the gray landscape of our continuing disaster, a landscape not improved one bit by Radtke’s own gray tags. It is not Dingler that should be stopped and punished but Radtke, and everyone in city government–in City Hall or the N.O.P.D–who has supported him.

http://toulousestreet.wordpress.com/2008/01/21/legalized-vandalism-and-vigilantism-in-new-orleans/

Grey Ghost busted! Radtke to face judge

Fred Radtke is arrested by military police after he and fellow activists painted over a mural Thursday afternoon that had been approved by the wall's owners.






Posted by Doug MacCash, Art critic, The Times-Picayune October 24, 2008 11:43AM
Categories: Living: Arts and Entertainment
The Gray Ghost finally went too far.

Fred Radtke, who has fought a zealous battle against graffiti in the Crescent City since 1997, was issued a summons for criminal damage to property Thursday night, according to New Orleans Police Dept. spokesman Bob Young.

Radtke, known as the Gray Ghost, was arrested Thursday afternoon by Military Police, as he and anti-graffiti activists slathered a thick layer of gray paint over a newly-finished mural near the corner of Burgundy and Press Streets. Though the spray painted mural shared some characteristics of renegade graffiti, there was an important distinction: The artists had received permission from the property owner before painting it.

Radtke did not consult with the owners of Southern Coating and Waterproofing, where the mural is located, before he and anti-graffiti volunteers began the blotting. A passerby was horrified at the destruction of the carefully composed mural and called the police.

According to witnesses, the MPs scolded Radtke and took him away in a patrol car. However, once he arrived at the police station, he was released without being booked. Later Thursday night, Major Bernedine Kelly, Commander of NOPD's Fifth District, reviewed the incident and issued a summons to Mr. Radtke.

Radtke and his non-profit organization, Operation: Clean Sweep, have long been lauded by the police and politicians for ridding the streets of graffiti tagging. He has also been vilified by street art fans, who consider him an enemy of creativity.

If convicted, Radtke faces a fine of $100 to $500 and up to 90 days in jail, police said. He may also be ordered to pay restitution.

Gray Ghost goes gonzo on graffiti

by Richard A. Webster Staff Writer

http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/viewFeature.cfm?recid=967

NEW ORLEANS - Fred Radtke is the Gray Ghost, the self-appointed scourge of the New Orleans graffiti scene.
Since he began his one-man crusade in 1997, Radtke’s supporters have hailed him as an indispensable tool in the fight against graffiti vandalism. His detractors call him a vigilante with a paint can.
Taggers have dubbed Radtke, 52, the Gray Ghost because of his elusive nature and the sudden and mysterious appearance of gray paint over their work.
Mayor C. Ray Nagin, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Warren Riley, the Louisiana State Police, the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI have praised his work.
But some property owners question what separates Radtke from the vandals he is fighting.
“He may think what he’s doing is a corrective measure but it’s unauthorized in many cases and doesn’t correct the graffiti but just camouflages it with another color of paint. That’s the same thing,” said Lary Hesdorffer, Vieux Carre Commission director. “It may be with better intent, but that doesn’t make it right.”
Radtke founded Operation Clean Sweep, a nonprofit dedicated to eradicating graffiti. His method is simple: He covers any graffiti he sees with water-based gray primer paint. For larger jobs, he uses a solvent and power washer to eradicate the graffiti.
Noel Scott, manager of Howard and Baronne Storage on St. Joseph Street, said Radtke eliminated three massive 6-by-6-foot murals on the side of its building in just hours at no cost.
But Radtke said power washing is expensive and since he depends on grants from companies like New Orleans-based Helm Paint & Supply Inc. to fund his operation, he can only use it in limited situations. For every other job, Radtke depends on his gray paint which he’s used to cover graffiti from the Lower Ninth Ward to Uptown, in Orleans and Jefferson parishes, on everything from telephone poles to street signs, levee walls and the sides of buildings.
Radtke operates under the “broken windows” philosophy: A broken window left unrepaired will lead to more broken windows and more decay in the quality of life.
And he applies this theory to graffiti with a missionary zeal. To Radtke, graffiti is not just an eyesore, it is a personal offense to himself and the community. He accuses taggers of being anarchists, agitators and members of the church of Satan.
Radtke, a retired Marine, is rebuilding his Lakeview home destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. Before the storm, he had 100 volunteers working for him on graffiti but is now down to a core group of four.
Radtke’s opponents agree with his quest to eliminate spray-painted vandalism and gang-related tags, but they say he overstepped an important boundary when he took it upon himself to “gray out” graffiti on private buildings without the permission of the property owners.
“Some people don’t notice the big gray splotches until you point them out and then they see them everywhere,” said Michael Dingler, founder of Nola Rising, a post-Katrina campaign to encourage people to display public works of art.
“But what’s the difference between someone who paints their name on a building and Radtke painting big gray boxes over the graffiti? Just because he can’t afford to get rid of it the right way that’s no excuse to do it the wrong way.”
Radtke is not a city employee or an independent contractor, though the NOPD and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development frequently contact him to paint over graffiti.
Radtke said he works with the approval of neighborhood associations but some people are looking to rein him in.
Hesdorffer said Radtke has illegally painted over graffiti on historic buildings in the French Quarter for years without the proper permits.
Radtke recently agreed to obtain permits and the consent of property owners before painting over any graffiti in the French Quarter. He also agreed to match his paint to the color of each individual building instead of always using gray.
Radtke, however, defended his past actions in the French Quarter and claims he reduced graffiti by 75 percent.
“One property owner in the French Quarter in the early ‘90s painted his property 26 times in six months to get rid of graffiti,” Radtke said. “He said it was easier to leave it on, and that was the attitude.”
Radtke said if property owners don’t like what he is doing, they can pay to remove the graffiti themselves or be fined by as much as $500 under a 1998 law that punishes property owners for failure to remove graffiti 30 days after receiving a notice from the city.
Radtke’s practice of painting over graffiti on public street signs has also generated criticism.
Robert Mendoza, New Orleans Public Works Department director, said street signs require a specific reflective surface for night viewing and by painting them gray Radtke is putting the public at risk.
Mendoza said Radtke is making the graffiti problem worse by smearing gray paint over an entire sign to cover up a thin, spray-painted signature.
But Radtke is unapologetic. He said if the city replaced the vandalized stop signs or coated them with a protective cover, he wouldn’t paint over them.
Radtke said pressure washing the signs would wipe off the face of the sign along with the graffiti. Therefore, he said, he has no choice but to paint them gray.
“If people did their jobs, I wouldn’t be involved,” he said. “Right now the only thing we can do to deter graffiti on signs is to cover it up with water-based gray paint.”
Mendoza said Radtke is choosing to break the law.
“It’s not legal for him to paint signs, no more legal than graffiti,” said Mendoza.
Given the limited funds and manpower of the department, Mendoza said it is impossible to replace every sign tagged with graffiti but he is looking into anti-graffiti coatings.
He said criminal charges haven’t been pressed against Radtke because the department has enough trouble conducting day-to-day operations without having to investigate the Gray Ghost.
Hesdorffer said people may not choose to pursue charges against Radtke because he’s difficult to catch and graffiti doesn’t rank as a priority when compared to murder, rape or robbery.
“But I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some people who, if they knew of an easy path to do so, might take the steps to prosecute Mr. Radtke,” Hesdorffer said.
The NOPD, however, has no intention of charging Radtke with the defacing of public or private property and praises his efforts in reducing crime and improving the city’s quality of life.
“What he’s doing is work that the city would be doing itself provided we had the resources and manpower,” said NOPD spokesman Sgt. Joe Narcisse. “He’s covering up graffiti and if the city had a team to do that it would do so. He’s not doing anything that we aren’t asking him to do.”•

‘Gray Ghost’ feuds with Nola Rising creator

Fred Radkte covered graffiti on a stop sign with gray paint. (Photo by Michael Dingler)










NOPD citations could soon cost artist $50,000

Michael Dingler knew he was in trouble when the “Gray Ghost” appeared at the Freret Street Art Market in December accompanied by Joseph Joia, a New Orleans Police Department quality of life officer.
Joia cited Dingler for more than 1,100 counts of unlawfully posting signs on telephone poles that could cost him more than $50,000 in fines.
Dingler doesn’t deny the charges. Since Hurricane Katrina he has hung hundreds of hand-painted “messages of hope” throughout the city, signs with slogans such as “Smile” and “Welcome Back.”
Dingler said the charges don’t make sense given that Joia arrived with Fred Radtke, aka the Gray Ghost, who has made a name for himself by slathering gray paint over graffiti on public and private buildings — often without property owner approval.
“When I asked Officer Joia if he was going to file the same charges against Fred under the graffiti statutes, he said he was unaware of what I was talking about,” said Dingler. “Here’s a guy who is destroying city property, who has become what he said he is fighting against. And yet I’m the one facing all these charges? It’s selective enforcement of the law.”
Radtke dismissed Dingler’s accusations, called him a “loser,” a “phony” and the “biggest pain in the ass I ever met.”
He said Dingler’s so-called “messages of hope” are “vertical trash” that promote other forms of vandalism.
“It’s real simple: people either want to abide by the law or not,” Radtke said.
Common purposes
Radtke, 52, founded the nonprofit Operation Clean Sweep in 1997 to fight graffiti.
The former Marine covers graffiti full-time and depends on donations to fund his operation, including several $10,000 grants from the city of New Orleans and a $32,000 grant over a four-year period from Freeport-McMoRan.
Radtke expanded his targets after the storm from simply graffiti to signs illegally posted on telephone poles. He paints over band posters and political and business advertisements.
Dingler, also a former Marine and a New Orleans native, has organized Nola Rising, a post-Katrina campaign to encourage people to display public works of art meant to inspire people during the recovery.
The idea was to hand-paint signs with positive slogans such as “Believe,” and “Everybody radiates sunshine on the soul,” and hang them everywhere from Uptown to the Lower Ninth Ward.
Dingler said his friends warned him against the idea. They said it was pointless because his artwork would fall victim to the unforgiving brush of the Gray Ghost.
“I had no idea who he was,” Dingler said. “I thought it was crazy. Who would paint over messages of hope?”
A few days after Dingler hung his first signs, Radtke covered them with a thick layer of gray paint.
“You have to have a pretty cold heart to do something like that,” Dingler said. “I definitely didn’t think that what I was doing was a crime.”
Dingler is scheduled to appear March 18 in Orleans Parish Civil District Court. He said it is difficult to understand why he faces $50,000-plus in fine for hanging removable pieces of art while Radtke is free to splatter permanent gray paint on whatever surface he wants with impunity.
Radtke is an independent operator whose actions are not officially sanctioned by the city. City officials said they allow him to do his thing because of a lack of manpower and funds.
City support
Robert Mendoza, director of the New Orleans Public Works Department, said Radtke is breaking the law every time he paints over graffiti on public street signs. But Mendoza will do nothing to prosecute the violations, he said, because his office lacks the resources and time to conduct an investigation.
The New Orleans Police Department, however, condones Radtke’s actions. NOPD often calls him directly to cover graffiti and spokesman Sgt. Joe Narcisse said they have no intention of charging Radtke with any crimes.
Dingler said he was charged with violations of the law after Radtke became obsessed with him and embarked on a personal vendetta.
Radtke’s harassment has nothing to do with ridding the city of graffiti, he said
Radtke didn’t deny his war against Dingler is personal and said he will use all of his energy and resources to financially cripple him. He accuses Dingler of being in league with the graffiti artists, saying Dingler intentionally provoked him by hanging signs calling him the “Gray Gangster,” and posted his home address on the Internet.
Permission needed
Tiffiny Wallace, owner of the Lucky You Candy Co. at 4505 Magazine St., is a fan of the Nola Rising project and has several works hanging on telephone poles in front of her store.
“It’s a uniquely New Orleans thing and the kids who come into my store love it,” said Wallace. “I don’t understand why Michael’s being charged with all of these things while Radtke is free to paint gray paint all over my neighbor’s windows without his permission. It’s going to cost $1,000 now to replace them.”
Wallace contemplated pursuing a restraining order against Radtke to prevent him from painting over the Nola Rising signs. She is circulating a petition among Magazine Street business owners demanding Radtke secure their permission before he paints anything on their properties.
Radtke said he has no problem with that. But Dingler’s signs are illegal, he said, just as it is illegal to staple bills, posters or signs of any kind to telephone poles.
And it doesn’t matter if the signs happen to be hand-painted, “pretty pictures” of rainbows with inspirational slogans.
To Radtke it is all vandalism and he is going to “gray” it all out, whether anyone asks him to or not.
Violent past
As a result of the escalating tension, Radtke and Dingler said they fear for their safety.
Radtke said taggers he associates with Dingler have thrown acid at him, threatened him with knives and smashed his truck windows.
Dingler points to an online photograph of a bloodied young graffiti artist he claims Radtke attacked.
Radtke said the beating was self-defense and no charges were ever filed against him.
Diane Lundeen, owner of Petcetera on Magazine Street and a judge with the Louisiana Office of Worker’s Compensation District 8, said the city should oversee volunteers such as Radtke to coordinate his efforts and ensure business owner property rights.
Until then, he continues to operate as a freelancer without direct oversight or accountability, she said.
Dingler is compiling a database of Radtke’s handiwork that should dwarf the 1,100 counts he now faces. He will present his evidence to the police, just as Radtke did, and demand charges be filed.
“This all started with me trying to do something good for the city and now it has turned into a nightmare all because of a guy called the Gray Ghost,” Dingler said. “It’s insane.”•

Read Comments
1
I just wanted to mention here how far removed this makes city hall from the common citizen. We love the messages of hope, we even can stand the band posters and other non-commisoned art. But to have a singular man think he can deem what is and what is not viewable by the people? and to leave such unsightly and glarringly hidious, slob-ish, unprofessional stains of gray all over our city?
He claims he has grants from the city to do this, and that he is fighting grafitti. Apparently leaving gray primer blobs everywhere is ok, and not a defacement of property. I find that impossible to believe. I also think that the groups that granted him the money to fund his little progect should review his proposals, for I believe he used suggestive and deceptive language to secure his grant monies.
The city of New Orleans has always been generous to its artists. It would be a shame that real artists are being underfunded because this man, Radtke, has such a obsessive mission to eradicate the free spirit and humanity of this beautiful town.
As far as my sugestions to solve this problem? I propose this: that the owners and renters of property throughout the city hold this man(Radkte) responsible for his actions, according to city laws pretaining to tresspassing, grafitti, and destruction of private property, at the very least.
This man is rude, vicious and thoughtless in word and action. Please don't let him be what the rest of the world sees when they look upon our streets.
Comment By carrie addaline hrigora

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 @ 11:08 AM CST 2
Grey
Is
Graffiti.
Comment By Humid Haney

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 @ 01:21 PM CST 3
I am a local business man and real estate broker ( ANTHONY POSEY ) , Fred often paints over personal property without the owners permission, including a couple of the corner groceries i have owned over the years and then refuses to clean his cheap gray paint from the building causing the owners additional cost in its removal.., the signs placed on telephone and electrical poles do not belong to the city ,the city does not jurisdiction and fred has no right to paint over the signs that he could just as easly remove, he only paints over them so he can collect funds for the service,,,,( it woudl be easyer to remove the signs than paint over them ) .. in addition free speech is at issue, with the political messages, the messages of hope,and the righ tto wrok aspect of the law. can fred or the city pay the fine for a civil rights violation . The judge involved should simply dismiss the charges,, and probably will after reviewing the law. because from the sound of it, the ACLU and others will get involved, including a class action law suit that could be filed on behalf of property owners like myself and busines people who advertisd on the pols...
Comment By Anthony Posey

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 @ 01:21 PM CST 4
I recently moved to this city. One of the first things I noticed, aside from crumbling buildings and the condition of the streets, was these beautiful hand painted street signs and hope filled messages that were nailed or stapled to telephone poles around the city. It was like the sunflower that rises from the cracks of cement, a beautiful and inspirational site that seemed a welcome break from block after block of the depressing remains of properties whose owners had clearly left them to rot away.
I can understand the concept of buffing gang related graffiti that is often used as a way of promoting a groups "turf" or area they claim to have control of, however, to buff such wonderful art as some of the work that nola rising is responsible for seems completely unreasonable..
In a city infected by corrupt politicians and horrible public works services, it seems a huge mistake to spend all the money that is being donated to Mr. Radtke on buffing, when crews could be hired to clean garbage and maintain streets instead.
Comment By Max Trombly

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 @ 01:36 PM CST 5
Twice now, I've been hit by this fool Radtke. In one case he covered some rather benign, barely visible grafitti that was OK by me...sorta cute. Apparently Mr. Radtke decided it was time to cover up, creating a much larger eyesore. Radtke's 1 minute of very careless painting cost a couple of hours of my time as well as searching for a color match. All this on private property, one of which was off a public sidewalk. In this second instance, he carelessly painted his grey slather on a century old brick wall that will require 20-30 hours of remediation....the original would have been 5-10 hours of goof--off and scrubbing....when I felt like doing so! What an ass!!
Definately a case of the cure being far worse than the sickness!!
Comment By John Hartsock

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 @ 01:46 PM CST 6
Last year, prior to the Thoth parade, Freaky Fred painted EVERY ONE of the "Don't park in the street during the parade signs" that were on Magazine Street. Good ol' Fred cost t least 50 people to get their cars towed...because he is intent on the destruction of property. He should go to jail.
If your car was towed last year prior to the Thoth parade--I recommend painting his house, car and family with that awful grey nastiness.
I'd LOVE to catch him defacing property...as would my pit bull.
Comment By Jane Dumestre

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 @ 01:54 PM CST 7
Who is Radtke "doing" at NOPD anyway?
Comment By jane

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 @ 01:55 PM CST 8
The restraining order against grey ghost is a good thing. And, property owners should sue him -- at least in small claims court. He should pay for the damage & inconvenience he causes. Shame on him!
Comment By soulameeya

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 @ 02:12 PM CST 9
Complete misappropriation of funds. Both gentlemen appear to want the same thing, a more beautiful new orleans. Radke seems to think that that means the whole town should be grey. As a question of aesthetics, Nola Rising clearly has the advantage. As a legal question, Radke seems to lose again. The overwhelming majority of evidence, indicates that Nola Rising creates far less property damage; and, in fact, creates value.
let's make a better new orleans. NOLA RISING
Comment By gabriel markel

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 @ 03:47 PM CST 10
Wouldn't taking the advertisement signs posted on telephone poles and TICKETING THEM be more Profitable for the city and Eliminate the "gray squares everywhere" ugly.
Thus ridding the city of BUSINESS Graffiti and making the city much need money buy punishing the REAL
offenders of people who unlawfully post signs on telephone poles!!!!
(Please to note: NOLA Rising is NOT SELLING anything, in fact we hope to be giving our friends, neighbors and visitors a smile, a thought, a reason to care about New Orleans!)
Shouldn't Mr. Radtke be actively prosecuting the Carpet Sellers, the Trash Collectors, the Cheap Phone pushers that regularly post these so called illegal signs on telephone poles? It's not like he can't find them, their number is there... Oh wait... I forgot, he can't read what's on them because he has painted them gray.
PS: what happens to "lost dog", "Guess who's 40" and the movie/tv route markers?
Comment By D. W. Deal

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 @ 08:02 PM CST 11
The city is the cleanest it has ever been. The quarter is amazing, except for the gray paint on walls, doorways, shutters, tile, street signs, phone booths, trashcans, etc.
Comment By J.A.U.G.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 @ 08:23 PM CST 12
I thought Radtke was supposed to be fighting *gang* grafitti. This is more like public art.
And how can the City condone that someone paints on my or your private property? Or public property, either, like the direction sign at Royal and Touro that was dangerously painted over.
Is Dingler going to be the first guy to be prosecuted for hanging signs? While there's a whole industry to mass produce them...they're going after an artist.
Comment By thatguy

Wednesday, January 23, 2008 @ 11:27 PM CST 13
Radtke is a paranoid schizophrenic with violent tendencies. I have no doubt he beat up a grafitti artist or probably more than one...
The grey paint is ugly and looks worse than the grafitti. It is up to property owners to cover up grafitti - when someone tagged my house recently we painted it out the next day (with the correct paint color naturally).
The police should not be condoning Radtke's behavior, he is an outlaw and a jerk.
Comment By joe l

Wednesday, January 23, 2008 @ 06:34 AM CST 14
Good story. If I were king, I'd say he can paint over graffiti on public property only and the city should fine people who put up ads on telephone poles and remove the signs. Positive signs and time-oriented notices (band shows and lost pets) can stay until they're no longer relevant.
If the city won't get involved, then this guy should take down the ads on poles (not paint over them). I don't see why if he's already up there with a ladder he doesn't just yank them down. Painting them grey is basically a wash -- it still looks awful.
If you can reach an ad (and some of them are just in the ground) I encourage you to pick it up and dispose of it. It really bugs me that companies put these out there.
Comment By twangster

Wednesday, January 23, 2008 @ 07:33 AM CST 15
Fred Ratdke is a long-time local wingnut who somehow gets city funds to deface the property of New Orleanians and the city of New Orleans. His grant funds need to be cut off. Especially since he has turned violent of late and gotten into confrontations with numerous citizens.
That said, Michael Dingler is another type of nut, albeit a non-violent one. His art is derivative and cheesy and, as such, qualifies as "vertical trash." When it showed up in our flooded neighborhood that we spent YEARS trying to clean from flood debris, no one liked it or found it to be a "message of hope." It was some cheesy flyers put up by a guy having a mid-life identity crisis on the backs of flooded New Orleanians. We tore them down like we tore down the hundreds of contractor advertisements.
Let's call a truce and have them both go away. Why can't the city of New Orleans fund a department to deal with grafitti and stop subsidizing wingnuts who deface stop signs and many people's private property?
Step up, City of N.O. Stop the cycle of foolishness before someone gets hurt. This tension between Radtke and many different members of the community has been steadily escalating for at least five years. Dingler and Radtke both need to get a new project.
Comment By Common Sense

Wednesday, January 23, 2008 @ 08:40 AM CST 16
As a person that loves living in New orleans.. I believe that the spirit of this city is a direct reflection of the creative efforts and personal freedoms of its citizens. I find beauty in the inspirations of others. The inspirations of: the man in a speedo playing the bagpipes at sunrise in city park, the high school students playing their horns and drums randomly on the street, the occasional street car patron dancing and singing in his work uniform as he waits for his ride, and the sporadic messages of hope displayed on our streets. If an organized "Stepford" style community is what people seek, then New Orleans is not the place for them. May i suggest Denver CO.(We all have options and opinions) I suppose the "THOU SHALT NOT KILL" signs posted in central city are being painted over too... and the churches are being sued... I mean really this city needs more grey paint and less hope right???
Comment By shannon

Wednesday, January 23, 2008 @ 09:50 AM CST 17
Hello - I was the police officer interviewed for the AntiGravity Magazine December issue on this subject this is the first time I have heard our spokesman, Joe Narcisse, support Radtke's actions.
I said it before and I'll say it again -
If I see him doing his 'handiwork', he'll get a mighty fine summons to appear in court for Criminal Damage.
Period.
What he is doing to this city, especially Uptown, is appalling and needs to be stopped.
Comment By DarkLaw - NOPD

Wednesday, January 23, 2008 @ 08:17 PM CST 18
Grey paint = grafitti! plain and simple. The city needs to stop funding this crap and NOW!
Comment By Michael L. Baker

Friday, January 25, 2008 @ 05:43 AM CST 19
SOMEONE PLEASE SHOOT ME IN THE FACE WHEN YOU CATCH ME DEFACING YOUR PROPERTY!
Comment By FRED RADKE

Saturday, January 26, 2008 @ 11:17 AM CST 20
fred hit my grandson in the back of the head. giving him a concusion. resulting he bit his tongue that still has not grown back....
the police were involed and nothing was filled. the surrounding business saw this.( the neutral grown in the middle of harrison). yet after all the witnesses. the police did seem to go to freds door since he left the scene immediately.this was just before the storm. but not that my grandsons older. he can handle it
Comment By lakeview civilian

Saturday, January 26, 2008 @ 12:29 PM CST 21
I lived in Dallas, TX most of my life, and when Katrina destroyed New Orleans we had a number of students join our school. After spending a good amount of time with these kids, their families, and some of the teachers that came with them, I get the feeling that the people of New Orleans (for the most part) need and enjoy a positive message. It also strikes me that since the Nola Rising project consists of REMOVABLE signs, it poses no real destructive consequence to the city. If someone doesn't want to see the sign, they can remove it from their sight.
I also think that the grey-out of any piece that Radtke personally thinks is graffiti-whether or not the owner of the building likes it or not-is perverse. His "cover up" costs just as much to fix, and it fails to acknowledge that some of the work he's covering might be desirable! I'm glad that the people of Magazine St are standing up against him.
This is sad... an artist is trying to spread a message of hope, and he's slapped in the face by the very city he's trying to lift up.
Comment By Beverly

Sunday, January 27, 2008 @ 02:18 PM CST 22
I have actually watched as people passed one of dinglers signs & smiled. Over & over they smile, they piont to it & bring it to their freind's attention & their friend smiles. He's part of something long held fond in our city. It's something that was one of the things that first set us apart from common animals. we picked up sticks or stones & scratched images into the rock walls of caves. He uses it to show love to his city as do the the musicians. The tap dancers on Decatur. The local cops. The shop owners. It's obvious to me this guy is showing us some love. Let's try to hug him for it instead of hurt him & others like him.
& leave the band posters alone too, cause they have directions to the music.
Let's show some support for this guy & follow this story. Who knows what else these Flamin Radkes aregoing to try and rob us of....
Comment By simian

Monday, January 28, 2008 @ 02:10 AM CST 23
Right on, Carrie Hrigora! I too have recently moved to New Orleans, and live Uptown. I noticed the signs posted on telephone poles and see them as messages of hope, and expressions of a First Amendment right. Or do we forget that we still live in a country that allows freedom of expression? I have been fortunate enough to have met Mr. Dingler, and wholeheartedly believe in not only his message, but his rights. If I found the Grey Ghost painting my property, or one anyone else's private property, I would first photograph him for evidence to be used later, and then inflict a citizen's arrest upon him. What he is doing is completely unwarranted, unjustified and against the law. How does his one-sided perspective win out over entering upon private property and defacing that property? Someone, please take this man down. He's vicious, negative, and completely trampling on the law, and First Amendment freedom of expression.
Comment By Irishgrrl

Monday, January 28, 2008 @ 08:15 AM CST 24
Graffiti is art. There are lots of expensive books out there that demonstrate the contemporary ideas about it. People visit cities around the world to participate in painting graffiti or just to look at it. Some of the world's finest artists work in this medium and can create an incredible visual dialogue.
That being said, there are many reasons to dislike it too. Some graffiti is crap.
We aren't given the choice to like or dislike this artform here in New Orleans, it is made for us by Mr. Radke. It's his choice alone to remove the graffiti "art" or "non-art" making him a self-appointed art critic.
In my opinion the gray glue is more undesirable than spray paint and it conveys absolutely no intelligence.
Can we all sign a petition and have the Grey Ghost removed from his position??
Comment By PAINTER

Monday, January 28, 2008 @ 03:13 PM CST 25
Graffiti maybe art, but not on public or private property. No one has the right to trash buildings, bridges, railroad cars, etc. It looks terrible and is a sign of lawlessness and decay. As far as the art part goes, it's in the eyes of the beholder. I personally think it's garbage!!!
Comment By Big Easy

Tuesday, January 29, 2008 @ 02:30 PM CST 26
So we are all saying the same thing here...Radtke has to go. Now how are we going to stand up and DO something about it? There are more of us than there are of him.. This is OUR city, OUR tax dollars, why are we spending time commenting. Call the freaking Governor if we have to. You are reading this, you are vested, you now have a charge to stop writing, and DO something to stop it!
Comment By DO something

Tuesday, January 29, 2008 @ 08:38 PM CST 27
Don't worry Fred Radtke---if you were on my property I would take you out. I"m from Texas, own a gun, and know how to use it. That's not a threat, that's protection of my property.
I'd love to get some friends together and paint an entire side of my house with what you, Mr. Radtke, term grafitti. It's art, its freedom of expression, and its a basic tenent of this country. Or, perhaps, the you have forgot that in your old age, or maybe you've been brainwashed.
Also, I just have to mention----what is one Marine---Mr. Radtke doing with a personal vendetta against another Marine, Mr. Dingler? Whatever happened to semper fi?
Comment By Irishgrrl

Wednesday, January 30, 2008 @ 07:52 AM CST 28
Fred Radtke is the most famous vandal in town.
Comment By Greg

Monday, February 4, 2008 @ 03:33 PM CST 29
This entire episode seems like we're watching some little battle on some little anthill in vastness of the Everglades. In the general scheme of things, does anyone have anything better to do?
Radtke has his issues; clearly he's overstepped his bounds, even before Dingler stepped into his life. If he's going to make money to do his thing, there should be some oversight and he should have to report to somebody.
Dingler, for all his niceties and consideration in making the pieces removable from telephone poles, is clearly milking this event for every bit of attention and publicity he can grab.
Although his protests sound rather innocent, to me it seems that he's doing a fine job of playing the victim in an effort to get others to soothe his childish ego. Defense funds? Art auctions? He's only received a summons, and he's already calling for mass protest and checks in the mail for his defense purse.
The judge will have the doors shut to keep away Dingler's minions, and will dismiss the case as moot.
Cameras will click, blog posts will be made, everyone will quickly forget it ever happened, and we call all go look for the next thing to kill our boredom and make life seem important for two seconds.
Comment By Tex Slidell

Friday, February 29, 2008 @ 09:50 PM CST 30
I admit, sometimes Fred goes a little overboard in his eradication efforts. But his painting over the nola rising signs and band flyers on telephone poles sounds exagerated - I've never seen any of them painted over, and I'm ALWAYS on the lookout for graffiti. Maybe I missed them, anyway that part of his zealous work hardly sounds like a major problem. The major problem however, is the "broken window" that graffiti creates. Fred keeps it from getting even worse! And sure, the gray squares are ugly - but they're better than the alternative. What the whole thing boils down to is that it's the lesser of two evils and if they (taggers) stop then he's stop. What I don't understand is how people who say they love the city don't lash out at the vandals instead of Fred - the vandals' biggest enemy. By the way, when did stylized letters and apparent pseudonyms become art? I'm an artist and I just don't get it. Also, unless I'm commissioned, I paint on my own property. Look for my work out there - you can call me the beige ghost (and sometimes white).
Comment By Duke

Friday, April 4, 2008 @ 08:32 PM CDT 31
Fred rulz
Comment By Louis Vitolo
Saturday, April 26, 2008 @ 11:23 AM CDT

from http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/viewStory.cfm?recID=25644