Vancouver street artists craft mural for Chinatown business that challenged graffiti taggers
Global News
Tommy Wong wrote a message responding to vandals who had repeatedly targeted his business. It caught the attention of DTES street artists who offered to help.
When Tommy Wong arrived for work in Chinatown Thursday morning, he was excited to see a change on his Gore Avenue storefront.
The business had previously been the target of repeated graffiti vandalism.
“I think it’s extremely beautiful,” the operator of Chung Shan Trading Company told Global News.
Last month, the longtime herbal merchant was so frustrated he wrote back to the taggers who defaced his rolling shutter with his own tag.
It read: “(Hey) u, go find a job make your day. What a shame of your life? Coward. What else u can do? Ha Ha. Graffiti. Your mom will (be) happy to see u found a job. Ha! Ha!”
Wong’s message caught the attention of two well-known Downtown Eastside street artists.
“I think it’s awesome that he put that up there, right? I would as well if it was me,” said Jamie Hardy, who is also known as Smokey Devil or Smokey D.
“(The graffiti was) really disrespectful, it’s not like he’s a big corporation, he’s just an independent guy.”