Part 4 of Miami Herald’s Graffiti feature:
Hundreds of Miami graffiti vandals, also known as writers, swim in a world of acronyms that identify the dozens of groups in their tight community.
Groups dedicated to graffiti, also known as crews, are not territorial, and can have anywhere from five to 100 members. Some of the crews are born from childhood friendships or neighborhood ties. Their networks expand by associations among leaders with competitive bravado.
”No one is there to make money,” former writer Seth Schere said. “Anyone who is not focused on graffiti usually gets kicked out.”
The crew’s founder is generally the leader — usually a young man. Writers must demonstrate original style, artistic talent, agility, guts and a sense of camaraderie.
”The main objective of the crew has remained the same, to paint and take care of one another,” Schere said. “Crews associate with each other to expand their network and have more people to paint with.”
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