By Bill Parry
British street artist Banksy’s last day in New York City ended in Sunnyside with a couple of arrests and a plea to save 5Pointz.
On a gray brick building fronting the Long Island Expressway, the graffiti artist attached black and white letter-shaped balloons that spelled out his name complete with an exclamation point at the end.
Some of the Banksy hunters hanging around 35th Street and Borden Avenue Thursday afternoon said a man had climbed a ladder and tried to steal the balloons but was stopped by another art admirer. A fight ensued and the NYPD was reportedly called. Officers arrested the two men involved in the fight and then left with the artwork, said Bay Ridge resident Yajaira Tejeda, who has made the trek to each of Banksy’s works.
“It’s a sad day,” Tejeda said. “When we got here, some guy had gone up and the police confiscated the balloons.”
On Thursday, the artist posted two pictures of his last creation during his self-proclaimed monthlong artist-in-residence stint in the city. Beneath the photos, he added a final note.
“And that’s it,” he wrote. “Thanks for your patience. It’s been fun. Save 5pointz. Bye.”
