Bizarre, Criminal law, Environment

Graffiti Artist Nocket Banned From All Federal Parks

casey.nocket.facebook.800We 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.

casey.nocket.crater.painting.800Nocket 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?

37 thoughts on “Graffiti Artist Nocket Banned From All Federal Parks”

  1. This blog is missing an important fact. The ban is only for two years.

  2. Her admission to using harder-to-clean acrylic paint is a key to her attitude. This is not artistic expression–it’s arrogance, pure and simple, verified by the images you have shown. I fully agree with the others who say she should be forced to clean every inch she has defaced, and to pay for the materials necessary to do it. If it must be done by hand, it must be her hand. Given how long it will probably take, she won’t be left with enough time or money to touch up her roots, either, so her arrogant ego will also take a hit. All good.

    Also, if she violates the ban order, she should do some hard time.

    1. Natacha – the fact that she is using acrylics shows that she is serious about her art.

  3. If I read this right she can never go to federal court or federal prison.

  6. I think the ban is appropriate, but I wonder how much of a deterrent it really is because it seems impossible to enforce. Aside from having to stop to pay a nominal entry fee, you can pretty easily come and go through the parks as you please. I think the only real deterrent is jail time or a steeper fine.

  7. I hope they post guards every ten feet of the border of every single national park to keep this clearly deranged national menace out. The cost to the taxpayer is nothing compared to the pristine and valuable nature of rock faces. /s

    She is not a bad person. She is channeling her inner cliff dweller to make her mark on the universe in the hopes that hers would be spared the ravages of time.

    Do you folks not understand that you’re hypocrites to condemn her while appreciating the works of past humans?

    1. “Do you folks not understand that you’re hypocrites to condemn her while appreciating the works of past humans?”

      Well.. of course. If you liked Picasso’s Bull’s Head then you ought to cheer when I throw together a bicycle seat and handle bars. Its the same thing … right?

      And don’t even get me started of Jackson Pollock and my kitchen floor!

  8. Since when have the national parks service become all 3 branches of government?
    Since there was absolute video proof and an admission of wrong doing. It doesn’t take any more than that. The rest is just procedure.
    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.”

  9. What issac wrote, although I’d prevent her public appearance in parks other than for community service for ten years if this were my kingdom.

    People grow up and should be allowed to enjoy the splendor at some point, which she obviously wasn’t doing when she thought graffiti more important.

  10. The point was missed here with the banishment. This is not much more than Brere Rabbit ‘not’ being thrown into the briar patch. She should have been obligated to work for much time, much more than 200 hours, perhaps six months of eight hour days, in a black and white horizontally striped outfit, doing ‘clean up’ in the parks. Visitors driving or hiking through the parks would have been able to see the mutte, point their finger at her, and understand. This would have acted as a greater deterrent than anything, something akin to passing a road crew from the local slammer while you’re driving along and understanding where you could end up for a spell if you were momentarily stupid.

  11. This vandal is not an artist! Defacing other people’s property is vandalism not art.

  12. What do I think? I think JT is two faced. He’s against censorship when it come to an idiot “Preacher” but then is silent when it comes to this woman’s Tumblr account being deleted. See, JT likes to hike so he has no issue throwing free speech out the window, Idiot preacher? He wants him to be the poster boy of Christians. The two posts are very telling of JT’s character.

    Also, is there anything more ironic than Ol’ Teddy’s face carved on Mount Rushmore? Talk about permanently defacing nature.

  13. “jail jail jail …… that is the broken mantra of so many people ….. try to be more innovative”

    Does she have income as an artist? She must have defaced the parks because she thought it would enhance her reputation and increase her income. Cease it.

    What materials does she work with as an artist? We ban convicted hackers from using computers for a time. Ban her from using artistic materials.

  15. Since when have the national parks service become all 3 branches of government?

    The police should have filed the charges, a court should have held a trial and imposed the fines, not to mention congress or some other legislative body should have written what ever “rules” she is accused of breaking.

  17. I’d have her on hands and knees, scrubbing off her garbage-level legacy with soft sponges, in every scheduled snowstorm for the next 5 winters.

    But that’s just me.

  18. In addition to the community service, they ought to maker her scrub all that graffiti off of wherever it was she put it, and have to pay for the cleaning materials and other expenses (including transportation to get there) herself.

    I just hope they have some way of enforcing that banishment. The way most parks are run, anybody can go in there without showing any kind of ID or anything. And I hope that if she does get caught in one, that there is some serious jail time as a result.

  19. I completely agree that the first phase of punishment was akin to a lite slap on the wrist. This banishment does send a clear message, but I too would like to see a harsher penalty. Aren’t penalties used as a prevention for like minded crimes? This was a crime against what is good in America. She represents what is BAD in America and simply saying “I know, I’m a bad person” just doesn’t cut it for me. I have backpacked up and down the Sierra Nevada mountain range for 15 years and have packed out many other thoughtless bad persons garbage and trash. I even helped a ranger track down a group. So if you feel the need to spoil something, please spoil your own nest.

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