CRISTABELLE TUMOLA AND ANGY ALTAMIRANO
Updated Wednesday, November 20, 11:10 a.m.
Artists and fans from all over the city came together Tuesday evening to pay respect to the Long Island City graffiti mecca 5Pointz after it was whitewashed overnight.
As part of the vigil, attendees gathered on the loading dock, lit candles, put up artwork on canvases and signed pieces of paper taped to the walls.
Stefanie Nava, a Long Island City resident who always used to come to 5Pointz in the summer, lit a candle and placed it along the wall.
“I’ve been here for hours,” she said.
“It’s just really sad and incredibly depressing. Nobody can believe it.”
A graffiti artist known by the tag “Share 37” said he has had 12 pieces at 5Pointz in the past two years and works around the block.
“I was shocked. I didn’t think it was going to happen this fast,” he said.
“It’s just such a blow to the graffiti world,” said another artist known as “JUST” of the WF CREW.
“When you see it you say ‘gee, what are you going to do now?” he continued. “5Pointz rest in peace.”
During the vigil 5Pointz Curator Jonathan Cohen told attendees they still plan on suing the landlord, Jerry Wolkoff, in federal court. He also said they need hundreds of people to show up to the court house the next time and let everyone know 5Pointz means a lot to “the whole community, not just hip-hop, not just graffiti writers, but the community.”
“I think it’s about time that we all step up in court and let the judge know that this is not the way to go by,” said Cohen. “He [Wolkoff] just did what 16 year old kids do at night time and do illegal vandalism and he did it in front of police, in front of everyone, in front of people on the train and got away with it and he’s not going to get away with it. I’ll fight in the court till the end.”
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