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About the Book:
Graffiti writers have left a vivid trail and told their spellbinding tales the world over in countless books and magazines, films and videos, websites and events. They have shared stories of war and glory, of battles and triumphs, and have the pictures to prove it. But many have gone down for those ups; they’ve been caught in action or hunted as criminals, and brought forth to answer for crimes of vandalism. They’ve copped pleas or pleaded guilty outright; they’ve been sentenced to do community service, to pay fines, and sometimes even to serve jail time—yet more often than not they got right back in action. No one knew this better than the New York City Transit Police Vandal Squad.
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Founded in 1980, the Vandal Squad’s mission was to protect the subway system from hardcore criminal acts of destruction like kicking out windows and throwing seats out of train cars. It was only with the Clean Car program of 1984 that graffiti became the primary focus of this specialized Unit. On a mission to catch those who gained fame under tag names, the Vandal Squad had to identify and locate these individuals cloaked in anonymity (and often so transient they were referred as “ghosts”) using every means available, including the NYPD computer database, Search Warrants, subpoenas, and even vandals themselves.
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In Vandal Squad: Inside the New York City Transit Police Department, 1984-2004, former member Officer Joseph Rivera recounts the days and nights spent in pursuit of some of New York City’s most notorious vandals. The only book on graffiti told from the perspective of law enforcement, Vandal Squad takes us inside the New York Police Department. Rivera’s fast-paced tales of cat and mouse are presented alongside professional disregard within the Department. Featuring never-before-seen photographs and stories of graffiti’s infamous Top 40, Vandal Squad offers an unprecedented look at the graffiti world from the other side of the game.
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About the Author:
Joseph Rivera was born and raised in the Bronx. He joined the New York City Transit Police Department in 1984, and was assigned to the elite Transit Vandal Squad in 1987. Rivera became the lead investigator of the Graffiti Habitual Offender Suppression Team (G.H.O.S.T.) within the Vandal Squad in 1998. The recipient of many commendations for outstanding merit throughout a 20-year law enforcement career, Rivera retired in 2004.
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New York Launch Event:
First Ever Public Discussion Between Former NYPD Vandal Squad Cops and Former Graffiti Writers
Thursday, March 19, from 7–9pm at the powerHouse Arena, 37 Main Street, Brooklyn
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February 18, 2009, Brooklyn, NY – The recent release Vandal Squad: Inside the New York City Transit Police Department, 1984-2004, has caused consternation throughout the global graffiti community with charges that author Joseph Rivera is profiting off the very criminals he spent his career incarcerating. In response, the powerHouse Arena will host a conversation between former members of the Vandal Squad and the graffiti writers, the first such event of its kind. With the intent of providing an open forum for public discussion to discuss the issues regarding the methods that the Vandal Squad employs and their impact on the lives of the writers themselves. Panelists include Vandal Squad author Joseph Rivera, former Commanding Officer Lieutenant Steven Mona, original Vandal Squad Lieutenant Ken Chiulli, graffiti legend COPE2, graffiti activist Ket, and street artist ELLIS G. The event will be moderated by Stern Rockwell, Streets Are Saying Things.
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Founded in 1980, the Vandal Squad’s mission was to protect the subway system from hardcore criminal acts of destruction like kicking out windows and throwing seats out of train cars. It was only with the Clean Car Program of 1984 that graffiti became the primary focus of this specialized Unit. On a mission to catch those who gained fame under tag names, the Vandal Squad had to identify and locate these individuals cloaked in anonymity (and often so transient they were referred as “ghosts”) using every means available, including the NYPD computer database, Search Warrants, subpoenas, and even vandals themselves. These strategies, and their impact on the lives of the vandals, as well as concerns about the publication of the book, will be the focus of the conversation on Thursday, March 19, from 7–9pm at the powerHouse Arena, 37 Main Street, Brooklyn.
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About the Panel:
Joseph Rivera was born and raised in the Bronx. He joined the New York City Transit Police Department in 1984, and was assigned to the elite Transit Vandal Squad in 1987. Rivera became the lead investigator of the Graffiti Habitual Offender Suppression Team (G.H.O.S.T.) within the Vandal Squad in 1998. The recipient of many commendations for outstanding merit throughout a 20-year law enforcement career, Rivera retired in 2004. Vandal Squad: Inside the New York City Transit Police Department, 1984–2004 is his first book.
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Lt. SA Steven Mona, a 21-year veteran of the New York City Police Department, headed the Vandal Squad from 1995 until his retirement in 2006. He also spent several years in the unit as both a patrol officer and Sergeant. He is credited with returning the unit to it’s proactive roots and creating an investigatory arm which utilized the latest technologies and tactics to combat graffiti vandalism on several levels. Lt. Mona has spoken on the subject of graffiti vandalism throughout the United States and Europe and the strategies of the Vandal Squad have been mimicked by countless law enforcement agencies the world over. Lt. Mona retired from the New York City Police Department in February of 2006 and now works as a writer and consultant. The father of two grown sons he currently lives in Orange County, NY, with his girlfriend Elaine and their dog.
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Lt. Ken Chiulli joined New York City Transit Police Department in June 1966. Promoted to Sergeant in 1980, he we was assigned to the original Transit Vandal Squad in 1981, then a 30-member unit. Promoted to Lt. in 1986 stayed in Transit Vandal Squad 80 member unit with 10 Sgt’s. Retired in November 1991. Assigned as the Lt. Comanding Officer of Transit Vandal Squad from 1986-1991.
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COPE2 is a legendary graffiti writer who, along with his crew King’s Destroy, has been working in the streets of New York for more than 25 years. He was the main focus of the seminal graffiti move King’s Destroy and has authored a photography book of his work titled Cope 2 True Legend. cope2kingsdestroy.com, cope2.blogspot.com/, myspace.com/copetwo
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Ket is a former graffiti writer, photographer, magazine publisher, marketing director, image consultant, graffiti advocate, and lecturer. His photographs have appeared in Rolling Stone, The New York Times Magazine, The London Sunday Telegraph, The Source, and Stress. Ket launched Stress, a hip-hop magazine credited for breaking such artists as Jay-Z, Foxy Brown, Eminem, and Raekwon, among others. After that, he spun Stress off into an internationally published Spanish language version of the magazine called Hip Hop Nation. In 2001, he became Vice President of Complex before working as Vice President of Marketing for Azzure Denim and Indigo Red. Ket is a marketing and image consultant and has worked for such brands as Atari, Moet Chandon, Lugz, Osiris, MTV, Demo stores, From Here to Fame publishing, the Marc Ecko Collection, Vibe, Nu America Agency, Sprite, and Uptown magazine.
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In 2004, Ket re-joined Marc Ecko to develop the controversial video game, Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. His marketing ideas landed Marc Ecko in the middle of controversy and lawsuits with the city of New York but ultimately led to a huge publicity bonanza. Active in his community as a muralist, photographer, and youth advocate, Ket’s advocacy of graffiti has landed him in frequent lawsuits with the city of New York. His cases have made international news and are all now closed. He is a recent winner of the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance grant for visual artists for which he will be creating an anti-war mural in Manhattan. The author of Graffiti Planet and the forthcoming Graffiti Planet 2 (Michael O’Mara books), Ket is currently working on biographies on graffiti artists Sento and Part One, as well as a history of New York’s Subway Art. He is also a blogger on 12ozprohet.com where he frequently discusses graffiti, art, and the police state. He has lectured in universities nationwide, including New York University, Brown University, Syracuse University, UCLA, University of Wisconsin, and Wesleyan University.
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Ellis Gallagher is a native New Yorker. As a former graffiti writer, his work can be found in New York City and beyond, in Autograf: New York City’s Graffiti Writers by Peter Sutherland (powerHouse Books 2004), as well as in numerous newspapers, magazines, on television and in films. Currently a Contemporary/Street Artist known as (C)ELLIS G., Gallagher’s work has appeared on the cover of Time Out New York, in the New York Daily News, The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Village Voice, The Brooklyn Paper, Mass Appeal, Artnet, Overspray, Der Spiegel, The Area Revue, H Magazine, as well as on NY 1, RAI TV Italy, Chinese News Network, NYCTV, The Hallmark Channel, Current T.V., WPIX 11 (NYC), NBC 4 (NYC), WNET 13 PBS(NYC) and the streets of New York City and beyond.
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Stern Rockwell is a designer, art director, textile designer and graphic artist. He studied the arts at the High School of Art and Design, School of Visual Arts, and Fashion Institute of Technology, all in New York. Rockwell has observed a rich chronicled history of graffiti in its many forms and has been involved in the graffiti community for many years. With Sast, he launched the website, Streets are Saying Things in 2000 to capture the real attitude of this form of expression. Dedicated to the preservation and presentation of graffiti art, Streets Are Saying Things is the largest creative museum online, unrivaled in scope and magnitude. One of the main objectives of Streets Are Saying Things is to encourage an open exchange of ideas and information between supporters to foster a connection to the graffiti art of the past, present, and future.
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Miss Rosen’s Contribution to This Project:
Art Direction, Photo Editing, Text Editing, Production Management, Publicity, Advertising, and Event Planning.
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Coordinated international publicity campaign including coverage in
12oz. Prophet, Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn Rail, City Limits, Frank151, Gothamist, lodown, New York Magazine, New York Press,
New York Times Arts, Print, Publisher’s Weekly, Time Out New York, Village Voice, and Vogue Italia, among others.
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GRAFFITI/ NYPD / CAT & MOUSE STUDIES
HC, 7.25 x 10.75 inches, 180 pages, hundreds of four-color photographs
ISBN: 978-1-57687-466-0, $35.00
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Event photographs ©Joe Conzo
Cover courtesy of powerHouse Books