We previously discussed the case of Casey Nocket, a New York-based graffiti artist, who proudly posted pictures of her defacing surfaces in at least six national parks: Death Valley, Colorado National Monument, Canyonlands, Zion and Crater Lake. Thanks to Reddit (one of my favorite sites), she was tracked down by irate viewers who helped the national park investigators. She has now been sentenced to 200 hours of community service but also banishment from all national parks and other federally administered lands. We earlier discussed the fine and probation as facially insufficient. The banishment element is an important advance, even if the lack of jail time is disappointing. For years, I have advocated such a ban for those who deface our national and state parks. Nocket is now banned from 20 percent of the United States and that is a good thing.
Nocket posted her graffiti under her tag “Creepytings” on a variety of social media sites. She boasted that she used acrylic paint, which is difficult to remove. When a person asked her about that, she responded: “I know, I’m a bad person.”
Yes, she is. Nocket’s Tumblr was deleted. Nocket was charged with seven counts of injury or depredation against government property and eventually pleaded guilty to all seven counts. She will also make a formal written apology to the National Park Service.
I hope that banishment will become the norm in such cases for the future. I would have prefer a short jail stint but that is a benefit to pleading guilty. The most important thing in my view is the banishment which is a great improvement over the facially insufficient penalties imposed in the past. Indeed, the Park Service should distribute posters highlight Nocket’s case and sentence for the entries of all parks.
What do you think?
Take a picture, post it on Etsy, and see!
BFM – YES, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you bare your soul through your creation, it is exactly the same thing.
Your mileage may vary, as it goes, but we all have our own unique tastes.
” YES, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you bare your soul through your creation, it is exactly the same thing.”
Ummm….. what am I bid for this compelling vinyl tile from my kitchen that speaks to creativity, dedication, and sacrifice in man’s eternal search for something good to eat.
Haha, Karen! That is funny. I had never even thought of that.
I sort of doubt that the ancient humans would get upset at defacing a rock wall… They really didn’t have a concept of private property rights like ours.
BFM- I’m sorry I wasn’t clear. I meant if you enjoyed prior works by humans *in caves, cliffs, and nature*, not just someone painting and it going to a museum someday.
I also believe this argument IS the nature of beauty and art in the eye of the beholder.
So many see this as terrible destruction of natural beauty. In our collectively owned parks, nonetheless! Whatever intrinsic value that untouched rock face had for you was DESTROYED by her callous and cruel layer application!
I see it as beautiful artwork, something to be shared with everyone. Whatever intrinsic value that untouched rock face had for me was INCREASED by her tasteful and beauteous acrylic work!
Do you honestly believe that the natural elements will spare her work with her choice of location? That is something only time will tell.
I posit that IF you are as upset by this as to punish her- the ultimate punishment would be to go there yourself and paint over or remove her work. Take her impact away.
The ugly duck needs a tatoo on the forehead which says just that. “What time is it?” asked the Judge to the defendant after the short break during her sentencing hearing. “Five to ten”, she responded. “Thats exactly what you get!” the Judge says as he bangs the gavel.
She needs to have every image of her and any of her”work” removed from the internet for ever.
In the meantime can someone submit a couple of new images of her where her face is scribbled over into oblivion by a sharpie or crayon wielded by a 4 year old?
That is the kind of person I’d love to see do Federal Time! Remember the classic “Trouble with Tribbles”? Cyrano Jones sentence for introducing Tribbles was to pick each and every one of them up off the space station. It would take a goodly portion of his life. This woman should be required to spend her hard time cleaning public toilets in national parks, when she isn’t scrubbing graffiti.
“Tin foil hat” is the response of intellectual midgets SJReidhead. People that have no freaking case at all for what they are countering.
If her acrylic paint was hard to remove, her community service should have consisted of her removing it, along with similar vandalism by other selfish people. That would have been justice, and she would have realized the consequences of her actions that other people have to try to clean up.
This is the tragedy of the commons. It’s difficult to keep anyone out of national parks, which are usually unfenced. They often have unmanned points of entry along access roads, too. A few rotten apples can ruin it for the rest of us.
Steg: I think it highly likely that if an early man defaced a part of the cave deemed either sacred, or forbidden to draw on, he would not get a lawyer appointed to him. Perhaps he would be among some of the skeletons we’ve dug up ritually buried. “For a good time, call Grok’s mate” would probably get you punished in the age of the Club. There are many areas in which it’s perfectly fine to make your mark…such as in your own backyard, your own home, and your property. Put handprints in cement. Carve a tree (and hope you don’t girdle it.) Paint designs on your walls. Just don’t do it on other people’s space.
She should be imprisoned just for the awful quality of her “artwork” alone.
ModernMiner – taste in art is personal. Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean others don’t.
InalienableWrights –That tin foil hat is a good look for you.
That is the response of intellectual midgets JunkChuck. People that have no freaking case at all for what they are countering.
A good, sound, bare-assed old fashioned public spanking would be an excellent punishment for juvenile, anti-social idiocy like hers. She owes her punishment to the American People, not just NPS, but I’ll settle for the rangers as a suitable proxy.
Ban her for life.