Fake Banksy has a Bigger Message then Banksy

Fake Banksy draws or should a say stencils your attention to disturbing events in NY

When you call the 1 800 number you get this message  “This particular piece seems to be commenting on the NYPD’s active role in traffic violence, which kills more than 250 New Yorkers every year,” he says. “When undercover police officers take up helmets and smash windshields, and off-duty cops drive drunk and kill pedestrians…it should be no surprise that they show up at the scene of children being run over by reckless drivers and declare: ‘no criminality suspected.’”

When you press one you are directed to voice mailbox of Keegan Stephan, an NYC-based activist who has worked with Time’s Up! (the organization behind Critical Mass) and helps run the recently-opened Bike Yard in Havemeyer Park.

here is what Andy Cush | writes:

Is this stencil piece in Washington Heights the newest Banksy? At first glance, it sure looks the part: the lines are clean enough, the 1-800 number is there, and it even riffs on one of the street artist’s most iconic images, war is over. well kind of from paul beck on Vimeo.
replacing the “Protester“‘s bouquet of flowers with a motorcycle helmet in reference to the undercover cop who smashed a car window during a motorcycle chase last month.

funvax, pentagon,vaccine, god gene shirt by thepman
Create a tee shirt at zazzle.com.

But upon closer inspection, it’s clear that some things aren’t right. Most obviously, is the art itself, which isn’t nearly up to Banksy standards. The work also sports a different phone number than the one the artist has used. And upon calling the number, you’re greeted with an audio guide that’s a good facsimile of Banksy’s, but clearly not the real deal. There speaker is clearly a different person, and rather than the self-deprecating jokes and art-world satire offered by Banksy’s narrator, this one gives a straightforward explanation of how the work should be interpreted.
After explaining the connection to the motorcycle chase and the NYPD, the narrator states takes a tangent, discussing police harassment during monthly Critical Mass bike rides.
“This particular piece seems to be commenting on the NYPD’s active role in traffic violence, which kills more than 250 New Yorkers every year,” he says. “When undercover police officers take up helmets and smash windshields, and off-duty cops drive drunk and kill pedestrians…it should be no surprise that they show up at the scene of children being run over by reckless drivers and declare: ‘no criminality suspected.’”
What gives?

full story here: http://animalnewyork.com/2013/fake-banksy-in-washington-heights-highlights-traffic-violence-police-complicity/

Tags: Banksy, Bikes, Keegan Stephan, NYPD, POLICE, Street Art, Transit