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Cops nab longtime Bronx graffiti artist Fernando Carlo after he tags subway car

Roadcruiser1

By Roadcruiser1,
in New York City Subway

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Roadcruiser1

Roadcruiser1

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A longtime Bronx graffiti artist who claimed to have gone mainstream returned to his roots by tagging a subway car uptown, police said.

 

Fernando Carlo - whose graffiti has covered trains, walls, and trucks since the late '70s - was busted this week. Police said Carlo, better known as Cope or Cope2, slipped into a subway yard at 207th St., using a train as his personal canvas.

 

"It was a nighttime hit," he told police after his arrest Wednesday morning, according to court records. "I don't paint trains in the daytime. I went through the side gate by the gas station. I buffed out my tag, COPE. I just did it and drove away."

 

Police said Carlo, 41, spray-painted a train Sept. 11, 2009, using black, blue, purple and pink. Cops said he wasn't busted until this week, because they were waiting for him to return from abroad.

 

"It was a spur-of-the-moment thing," he told police.

 

Investigators said Carlo tagged a train at the same yard in October of 2008, using the colors blue, pink, red and yellow. He was charged with two counts of felony criminal mischief and one count of making graffiti, a misdemeanor.

 

Carlo was released on his own recognizance after his arraignment Wednesday night. He declined comment when reached by phone yesterday.

 

The South Bronx graffiti artist started tagging trains as early as age 11. He once proclaimed himself "King of the #4 line."

 

After several arrests for vandalism and drugs, he swayed toward the mainstream as an adult, designing a hip-hop album cover for Boogie Down Productions. He was featured in a graffiti movie called "Kings Destroy," and his likeness appeared in a 2006 Marc Ecko video game.

 

City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Queens) opposed a publicity event for the video game that called for the spray-painting of vintage trains. According to published reports, Vallone called Carlo a "punk" and said the Ecko event encouraged vandalism.

 

After first threatening Vallone, Carlo made peace with the councilman.

 

"He seemed to be a good guy and he said he had left crime in the past," Vallone said yesterday. "I'm actually sad to hear about this."Charles Seaton, an NYC Transit spokesman, applauded the arrest, saying graffiti "costs taxpayers and straphangers hundreds of thousands of dollars each year."

 

One down more to go.

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N-Trizzy2609

N-Trizzy2609

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I like it when subway cars have really REALLY nice graffti pieces like those German dudes a few years ago who tagged up those R142s in Unionport.

 

But that being said, I think with him behind bars it wouldn't really make a difference because I bet you $30 someone is going to copycat this. I just wish the MTA for once would let CERTIFIED graffti artist like Marc Ecko to spray nice pieces on the trains for like a certain occation. The MTA can put a clear film over the train that way at the end of the occation they can just peel it off.

 

But that'll NEVER happen.

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St Louis Car 09

St Louis Car 09

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Damn they got Cope 2??? It was a matter of time.For those who dont Know cope,He`s very cocky about his work and what he does.He would post himself on youtube tagging R62A`s at the lenox yard and other various places and brag about not getting caught.He even have a bunch of tags in Grand Theft Auto 4 with his signature tags.Got caught slippin.Besides "Seen" Was much better.Here`s an example of cope 2 work in GTA 4.

 

cope2-grand-theft-auto-iv-1.jpg

 

And "Cope 2" Himself

 

img_9722-690x460.JPG

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St Louis Car 09

St Louis Car 09

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Copycats are what contributed to the graffiti era ending in the first place on top of the trains being cleaned or replaced. Some of the graffiti I've seen on nycsubway.org does look nice, but to be honest with everyone I never had been a big fan of graffiti as it didn't make the trains look good. Exposure to that stuff long enough can kill you. Look what happened to the graffiti artist legend Iz the Wiz.
Thats true.Iz the Wiz never used a face mask and that may have lead to his kidney failure last year.At least "Seen" was smart and made some money off of his work overseas after the graffiti movement officially died in 89'.
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jimbob60

jimbob60

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I like it when subway cars have really REALLY nice graffti pieces like those German dudes a few years ago who tagged up those R142s in Unionport.

 

But that being said, I think with him behind bars it wouldn't really make a difference because I bet you $30 someone is going to copycat this. I just wish the MTA for once would let CERTIFIED graffti artist like Marc Ecko to spray nice pieces on the trains for like a certain occation. The MTA can put a clear film over the train that way at the end of the occation they can just peel it off.

 

But that'll NEVER happen.

 

Just let the graffiti vandals pay to post their work on our trains. I have often heard the ridiculous argument from vandals that advertisers plaster trains with their "tags" (advertisements) so why can't the vandals do the same. The difference is money. Let the vandals become artists and not vandals by paying to decorate subway cars as other advertisers do. Obviously the MTA would impose certain guidelines. Take the criminal aspect away from graffiti and then I will call it art.

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Joe

Joe

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Take the criminal aspect away from graffiti

 

We should just take the criminal aspect away from everything. For example:

  • rape will become "surprise love"
  • assault will become "uncooperative teasing"
  • robbery will become "unplanned borrowing"

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KTrainExp

KTrainExp

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Well they don't execute anymore, so that idea can be scratched out. They caught one graffiti artist, which is out of how many there are still in the city. That really isn't improvement over the graffiti problem.

 

Cope 2 is an urban legend. The fact that they caught him is a blow to any sort of community who does vandalize trains.

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Nova RTS 9147

Nova RTS 9147

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Just let the graffiti vandals pay to post their work on our trains. I have often heard the ridiculous argument from vandals that advertisers plaster trains with their "tags" (advertisements) so why can't the vandals do the same. The difference is money. Let the vandals become artists and not vandals by paying to decorate subway cars as other advertisers do. Obviously the MTA would impose certain guidelines. Take the criminal aspect away from graffiti and then I will call it art.

 

Because they're vandals. There's nothing wrong with graffiti in and of itself (I admit to being a fan of the art form), but to spray property that isn't yours is damaging someone elses property. Imagine if I decided to write something on your property. Without consent, without your knowledge, and without any regard to if you like it or not. Would you think it's cool?

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Grand Concourse

Grand Concourse

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Exactly. If this was your house or car, would you [in general] be happy or pissed that someone tagged your property? Even though the subway is public, we pay indirectly thru higher fares and such everytime that tag has to be cleaned off. Taggers that deface stuff that are not theirs are vandals, plain and simple. They don't deserve any free passes.

 

I agree with Joe that such perps deserves harsh punishments [though probably not death, just a general reparation x10 for the amount damaged].

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