The pop star has been charged with vandalism before
After a graffiti campaign promoting his new album angered San Francisco officials, Justin Bieber is in trouble again.
The city attorney of San Francisco has asked Bieber’s music producer to help with the investigation which aims to find out who is behind Justin Bieber’s sidewalk graffiti campaign promoting Purpose, the star’s latest album.
According to Dennis Herrera city attorney other sidewalk marketing campaigns have been made around the city before this one but those used chalk which was easily removed at the first rain. However, Herrera told the Universal Music Group in a letter he sent on Monday, that Bieber’s campaign is still visible even after several rainstorms, being painted with spray paint.
Spray paint is much harder to remove and even if public workers managed to remove some of them, this was made at great expense, according to Herrera who has also released eight images of the graffiti.
Bieber’s graffiti campaign revealed the track list of his newest album by tagging them on the sidewalks of different cities. However, San Francisco is responding the harshest after the Public Work Department has received several complains from infuriated citizens who consider the campaign ‘commercially-sponsored vandalism’.
Graffiti marketing campaigns are prohibited in San Francisco. According to Herrera they cause great prejudice as they exploit the public property and besides that they expose pedestrians at increased risk of accidents acting as visual distractions.
Another harm produced by these graffiti campaigns is that they send the wrong message to the youths who might understand that breaking the law is a cool thing to do if marketing campaigners and even stars like Justin Bieber are doing it.
Herrera wrote in his letter that the city’s sidewalks aren’t ‘canvasses for corporate advertising’ and promised that the city will fight back against these violations of the law.
According to San Francisco law, each stencil could result in penalties of $2,500 and additional fees may apply. But if the company cooperates the conflict could be resolved without civil litigation.
It is not the first time when Justin Bieber stays in the center of a conflict started by unlawful graffiti. Two years ago during his Believe tour in Brazil the pop star was charged with vandalism after the paparazzi caught him tagging the walls of the former Hotel Nacional in Rio de Janeiro.
After this incident Justin Bieber declared that he only tagged approved places and he doesn’t support tagging private property. However, this was not true and the Brazilian police has charged him with vandalism.
Image source: San Francisco City Attorney via Associated Press
Leave a Reply