I believe sandblasting would be a cleaner and more ergonomic way to remove these awful images. Chemicals could impact the environment.

During the 70's and early 80's the summit of East Rock became completely covered in graffiti. This was when cars used to go up there at night. Essentially every weekend there was a wild party on the top of East Rock. Mayhem ensued, along with crime of all sorts. Every wall, every roadway, even the Sailors and Soldiers Monument were completely defaced with graffiti. The city had to hire a sandblasting company to remove all of it. After that cars were no longer allowed up there at night. However now motorcycles, scooters and quads go up there at night.

Hello Sarah N.

Is the graffiti really misogynistic or is that only the way you see it? All illegal activity should be quelled; however, your personal interpretation of misogynistic behavior should not be considered.

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Uh-oh, it looks like one of the words in your last posted comment caused it to be blocked. Please keep in mind that the content filters of SeeClickFix are extremely strict. Even completely innocent comments are blocked if they're not sugar-coated, happy rainbow-colored comments.

I hope this information helps.

Perhaps 'misogynist' is not an accurate choice of wordage for the graffiti, I agree. I would think a better choice of words might be, ugly, demeaning, self centered and, above all, stupid.

Instructing readers to violate women's bodies (including specific women, named) seems misogynistic to me -- the implication being that men should be authorized to use women as they see fit. But the terminology is not necessarily what matters.

Regardless, it made me feel sick to be up there. I went up for the sunset and left after only a few minutes (before sunset) because it felt distressing to be around so much graffiti that was so vitriolic.

However one wishes to interpret this garbage that has been scrawled all over the summit of East Rock, the main point is IT DOES NOT BELONG HERE. This is a beloved public space where families come to escape the problems of day to day life. The people who spray painted their nonsense clearly have zero consideration for the community per se.

As a matter of fact, I would gladly volunteer my time to go up there and help paint over all of the graffiti. Using various mixtures of 'Kilz Paint & Primer' these problem areas could be covered in colors which come close to matching the surfaces. Kilz offers a wide range of natural rock and asphalt colors in a highly resilient outdoor pigment.

Now, I can't wait to see what the misogynistic words might be. Hopefully, the words won't be covered by the time I get there.

Let's continue blocking any words with which we don't personally agree. After all, freedom of speech should only be allowed to the words with which we personally agree, right?

All other words should be blocked. Freedom of Speech should be regulated to what we believe in and nothing else...

Can anyone see the irony in my last posted comment?

Tommy, please go take a look at the actual graffiti before you grandstand on free speech. If this is the same graffiti as a couple of weeks ago, it includes swatstikas. Regardless, I don't remember defacing public parks to be included in the protections reserved for free speech.

I can see why the nasty language used in this graffiti could be interpreted as misogynist. There's no use trying to justify someone's stupid juvenile language.

Thank you for reprorting this here. A member of our organizaion sent photos to me this am which i sent to the head of PW and to an official downtown.

I encourage each of you to join FERP and work with us who are faithful stewards of and advocates fot ERP.

Since 2008 volunteers have logged many tens of thousands of hours and contributed well over $100,000 on improvements for which the city had no resources.

David Shimchick
Www.friendsofeastrockpark.org

I know all about freedom of speech, and I'm sure the graffiti extends beyond the borders of it, but somehow, I can't help succumbing to the means of the folks who simply want the block anything with which they don't agree.

The 'speech' in question, which is the topic here, the graffiti on the summit of East Rock, has nothing to do with 'expressing one's beliefs'. It is instead, nasty, filthy, obscene, sickening and VERY disturbing. Now, you were saying about free speech?

Hi Curt,

You have no idea what freedom of speech actually means. I'm not guessing. Freedom of speech includes all of those words that make you angry. If the words personally offend you, well too bad.

By all means, take some time and go look for yourself. If you get warm and fuzzy feelings after viewing the graffiti on the summit then maybe I'm just being too judgemental.

Hi Curt,

Have you reviewed which words violate freedom of speech? I'm guessing you're no older than 12 or 13 years old. Please sit down with your parents and ask them to accurately describe what constitutes freedom of speech and what doesn't.

I hope this information helps.

Tommy, I'm actually a law student, so I know a lot about free speech. For one thing, Curt is right that we do not have the right to graffiti space that is owned by the city with permanent spray paint. Additionally, the protections of free speech are meant to ensure that people can freely exchange ideas, dissent from the government, express their religion and politics without facing censure from the government, etc. To that extent, you're right -- we should not silence speech just because we disagree with it. That would undermine the First Amendment. But we have never guaranteed an absolute right to say what you want **wherever and whenever you want.** For instance, it is not a violation of free speech when a professor at a public university tells a student to stop speaking in the middle of her lecture. It's a government institution, so free speech applies, yet the student's rights are not being violated. Rather, we recognize a right to express whatever views one wants but not in an unbounded fashion. I would argue that permanent graffiti falls into that category -- we don't have a right for our words to permanently define a given public space. We get to express those ideas, but not to the exclusion of other ideas. If the graffiti covered every inch of East Rock, and painting over it violated the rights of the original painters, then the first person to speak would have a monopoly on speech. That's not what we want as a society, and it's not what the First Amendment guarantees.

Hello Sarah N.

How can you be a law student, if you don't even know how to appropriately separate your conveyed message into paragraphs?

Your last posted comment is a convoluted mess of nothingness. Where are you studying law? I guess they don't teach reading comprehension.

Sarah N, clearly we are communicating with an expert on free speech so there's no use here trying to argue with a person who wishes to protect the rights of a person spray painting degenerate or obscene expressions of 'freedom' on public property. Just maybe this spray painted scrawl is the work of that famous graffiti artist 'Banksy'?!

I'm not advocating for graffiti. I'm advocating for freedom of speech.

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Apologies, Tommy, for not taking the time to revise my angry rant. (Note: sarcasm)

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Also, nice little trick you pulled by discrediting me rather than engaging with my ideas. Seems like someone who really values the lively debate that the First Amendment is supposed to protect.

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It sure looks like Tommy's posts here are contrary to the terms of use, yet those posts don't get blocked. I wonder if he is getting special treatment.

The terms of use basically say that anti-social behavior is prohibited.

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The site seems pretty sensitive on anti-social behavior, though using synonyms seems to circumvent the algorithm. The last post of mine got blocked for a synonym of "discrediting."

Using speech that demeans someone could be considered as an attempt to suppress their free speech.

Tommy has said he will reveal the personal information of posters he disagrees with, which can also be considered an attempt to suppress free speech.

All of the blocked comments have been because of the SeeClickFix content filters, not me. On SeeClickFix, anything can be blocked and the content filters are more stringent than most people would like.

Seemingly innocent words can trigger the filters. Freedom of Speech is definitely not a part of SeeClickFix, even though it's a tool contracted to be used by government entities.

I hope this information helps.

I am pleased to congratulate the East Rock Park team, and their sub contractors, and send out a hearty THANK YOU for a job well done, on eradicating the horrible GRAFFITI which was spread liberally around the summit area of East Rock Park! Your people carried out a beautiful job of restoring this highly valued public environment to a very respectable level. Again thank you so very much for your dedication to keeping the park as a clean living space for the people of New Haven.