This bounty is no BS.
A Greenpoint businessman is offering a $5,000 reward for any information leading to the capture of a graffiti artist who has tagged his buildings with the letters “B” and “S.”
“They’re all over the place,” said Broadway Stages owner Tony Argento. “This guy is getting bolder and bolder.”
Argento noticed the tags nine months ago on his warehouses on Norman Avenue, Moultire Street, Humboldt Street and Franklin Street, where television shows such as “The Good Wife” and “Blue Bloods” are filmed.
One of Argento’s tenants said he saw the painter spraying his one-liner on Franklin Street at 7:30 pm two weeks ago. The tenant, Joe Grant of Brooklyn Studios, described the artist as a “slim” 6-foot Caucasian man in his early 20s.
“I didn’t see his face because he had a hood on,” said Grant. “I just saw that incident that one day where the guy was using spray paint and then he walked away. It’s his stain, or whatever.”
Graffiti artists have been bombing Greenpoint’s buildings for decades. But the “BS” moniker, which appears in doorways, on brick walls, and other structures noticeable from street level, has proliferated quickly — and earned some respect from a fellow tagger.
“He is doing a great job of doing what graffiti artists do — destroying property,” said Greenpoint artist NohJColey. “The majority of ‘graff’ writers don’t want a show in a gallery or even money for their efforts in the public space.”
But unsolicited public art comes with a risk — jail time.
Police have arrested 75 art vandals in Greenpoint and 89 taggers in Williamsburg so far this year, which account for over one-fifth of Brooklyn’s total graffiti arrests this year.
Deputy Inspector Terence Hurson of the 94th Precinct, which covers Greenpoint and the Northside of Williamsburg, said police are looking for multiple suspects.
“It’s a whole team of people who write their initials within the ‘BS,’ ” said Hurson. “I saw it twice on the way back from a meeting today. Once you start looking for it, you notice it everywhere.”
For info about the bounty, contact Broadway Stages at (718) 349-9146.
