The War on Chalk continues, but the fearless chalkers receive assistance by a female UK contingent!
Recently at FreeKeene.com, we have chronicled the War on Chalk, where some local busybodies have been removing beautiful art, and peaceful phrases chalked by both activists and locals, over the past several weeks.
The War on Chalk escalated to violence in early June when Matthew “Yankee” Oldershaw was pushed into the fountain at Central Square, hospitalizing him with serious injuries.
Yankee, once out of the hospital, scheduled a family chalking event in Central Square.
One of the complaints about chalking in downtown Keene has been that it is upsetting to international visitors, in addition to locals. Over the period of several hours, multiple families and others came through the park and joined in the chalking. It’s fun!
At one point, a large number of young ladies from the UK stopped in. Rather than being offended by the chalking, they were eager to join in and leave their temporary marks on Keene. Afterwards, they joined the Keene Hopscotch Preservation Society for an impromptu hopscotch session.
The day was a smashing success and not a single grumpy chalk hater came through to talk trash or clean up the beautiful artwork. Word is they came out later to clean up after everyone had left.
The city council is currently working on a possible ordinance to ban chalking. Stay tuned to FreeKeene.com for the latest.
“The War on Chalk escalated to violence in early June when Matthew “Yankee” Oldershaw was pushed into the fountain at Central Square, hospitalizing him with serious injuries.”
Of course what you conveniently left out is that he was pushed in response to his assault on another person.
Because there’s no evidence to support that claim, and every reason to believe that the unsubstantiated claim is a complete lie, given the source of that claim.
Do stoned idiots and smelly degenerates really qualify as artists?
You’re definitely not an art scholar. Have you heard of Andy Warhol?
Perhaps you are unaware that Warhol was a fine arts major and worked as a commercial artist for years. He didn’t rub chalk on a sidewalk in a stoned haze to irritate people.
With that thinking we should destroy every Van Gogh painting as he was a drug addict and insane. During his lifetime people hated his artwork. I guess we better get to tossing his paintings on that pile of books your burning.
Pull your head out of your ass and sober up you imbecile. You may giggle like a little bitch when you irritate people who have real lives and jobs, but someday one of those people may make your life very difficult. Life is not a free for all, where there are no ramifications for stupid, heartless, and aggressive actions. You will reap what you sew, and I’d buy tickets to watch you receive every ounce of “ramification” you deserve.
Psst your public education is sticking out…might want to tuck it back in.
You lack of any is abundantly clear…You are comparing an eccentric artist to degenerates reducing the quality of life in a lovely town, covering sidewalks with “art” that no one asked them to put there. Temporary or not, chalk or spray paint, this is just being done to antagonize those that wish to keep Keene a viable, beautiful place. Van Gogh paintings are hung in Museums where people have an expectation to view art, it’s their choice, therein lies the freedom. Go or don’t go into the museum. Freedom isn’t ruining things for other people, that’s called vandalism and disturbing… Read more »
Van Gogh wasn’t respected till many many years after his death, luckily people like you didn’t just burn his paintings claiming them as obscene or garbage. Art is in the eye of the beholder. If I say its art then can it stay? If you say no then this is just boiling down to opinions and the law should never be involved. Even if its not art then its a political message. Ow right I forgot you hate liberty when it offends you. The whole concept of liberty means your going to be offended so get over it. I own… Read more »
Who the hell are you people to decide what the rest of the public wants to see in a public area? Stupid waste of your time, and the public energy and money
It takes to clean up your graffiti. Not to mention the efforts of the good people of Keene wasted on your delusional, dirty, stoned asses. I wish I was there to throw more of your stupid asses in a fountain. #yousmell #growup
[…] Cause you know, chalking is childish and people hate it. […]
[…] chalkers continued unabated, their ranks bolstered over time by local families and an international alliance in the form of some European college girls. While the war raged on throughout the summer, the later-summer lack of news coverage regarding the […]
[…] FREE KEENE!!!“. He later truly made a name for himself in the War on Chalk that happened throughout the summer of 2014. While the War on Chalk initially involved a handful of haters, it wasn’t long before […]