At War With São Paulo’s Establishment, Black Paint in Hand

For some Brazilians Graffiti or “Pichação” may reflect social inequalities, but that does not justify it.  Far from it, it is obviously illegal because it damages somebody else's property. Instead of dirtying the city, pichação gangs could better spend their time and resources working or studying to get a decent job and thus reduce the inequalities.

In my opinion, it is unnecessary that many young people are “risking their lives scaling building facades at night to paint their script at the crests of smog-darkened skyscrapers” because "Pichação" is just an act of vandalism and, as such, goes unpunished as many other delicts in Brazil and any other country in Latin America. The lack of law enforcement, this is the real problem.

"Pichadores" are not necessarily poor, and have many other ways to show their anger other than destroying property. Many people who have no fault of the social discomfort of these pichação gangs have to spend thousands of money to repaint their damaged property. Pichação gangs are not artists or protesters many of them are dangerous criminals. For sure, hard working people in Sao Paulo hate “Pichação”, it makes the city ugly and it costs tax money to repaint public buildings.

In the other hand, Graffiti cost money to do. You will find it in affluent cities but not in places where a meal is more important that a can of spray-paint.

Some social revolutionaries agree that Pichação “it differs remarkably from other forms of urban graffiti around the world and it is a form of reflects the urban decay and deep class divisions that still define much of São Paulo. It is just one reminder of the social ills that Brazil’s economic boom has so far failed to resolve”. They think that it is the best way to be heard. They should stop giving them recognition and status pichação gangs  do not deserve.