Graffiti at Brookland Metro Keeps Memory of Sean Taylor Alive

Wash Syndicate

A few days after the Redskins’ Sean Taylor was killed in Miami, Florida, a spray-painted memorial mural, written in the team’s colors, appeared on the northbound wall of the Brookland Metro station where it remains today, untouched. The mural, painted in burgundy, gold, and white, is seen by tens of thousands of Red Line riders going in and out of the city every day.

Taylor, 24, was in his fourth year with the Redskins. In the twelfth week of the 2007 season he had 5 interceptions — third in the league, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. His reputation as one of the hardest hitting players in the league and his all-out style of play had endeared him to fans.

News of his death during a home invasion on November 27, 2007 quickly spread across the region, leaving his teammates and fans in a state of disbelief and grief. While the Redskins organization honored Taylor’s memory on the field, an established DC graffiti artist took to the red line in a public display of deference. 

“The Red Line has been a hot spot since the mid-80’s, but became the spot in the early 90’s,” according to Roger Gastman, a Bethesda native and author of Free Agents: A History of DC Graffiti and the forthcoming The History of American Graffiti. “If you wanted to be someone in the DC graffiti scene, you had to hit the Red Line.”

“The Brookland station, you can walk right up to it. It is a very good location, if you can pull it off,” says Gastman.

“The best writers interact with their environment,” asserts Gastman, citing graffiti as the fastest growing art movement of the past forty years.

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CERT

Beginning his graffiti career with the tag of “CERT” in 1992 at the age of 14, the well-known writer of the Sean Taylor mural declined an interview request for this article.

“The Red Line was CERT’s backyard. He basically lived there and owned it. CERT could disappear, but, to this day he holds enough respect that his spots will remain untouched for years to come,” reads CERT’s profile in Free Agents that describes his graffiti as “hardcore and illegal” and “always in highly visible spots.”

“Graffiti to me is my childhood, my teen years. That’s what I was about 100 percent. But I’m still representing. Don’t count me out. Don’t forget me. I can come back at any moment and in a month I’ll take king of the Red Line again,” contends CERT in the 2001 book.

“Whatever his reasons for slowing down, CERT is a true D.C. king. It’s time for him to sit back and let the mark he left on the city soak in. And like he said, don’t count him out. With a closet full of paint and heart that’s true to the game, CERT will be back,” Gastman foretold in the conclusion of CERT’s profile.

The mural has remained untouched since its appearance more than 3 years ago.  Gastman says there is a code among writers that is being followed. 

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“Brookland station can be considered a museum for DC graffiti, because of the pieces that have endured over the years,” says Saaret Yoseph, a graduate student at Georgetown University. “Brookland is unique in that the art is eye level. The graffiti is looking right at you as you wait for your train.”

Yoseph is directing, “The Red Line D.C Project,” a documentary exploring the “communal experience” of graffiti on the Red Line as a public art space. It will be released later this year.  

Rider Reactions

“What struck me about that one was here was a memorial to someone we actually knew–or knew of. So much graffiti is inscrutable. Who are the people named there? What’s the purpose of it? But this was one we could grasp immediately,” said John Kelly, a writer for The Washington Post and Red Line rider since 1983. “And then a few years later, just across the platform was another one that fell into that category: some memorial paint for Michael Jackson.”

On a recent morning at the Brookland Station, riders’ reactions to the graffiti suggested a sense of pride in the station’s distinction as the home of the Sean Taylor mural.

“If they cleaned it up we would be really hurt behind that one,” said Milford Obendorf, a Brookland resident waiting with his wife on the northbound train to Silver Spring.

“It’s been here since he passed away. People come here to look at it,” said Marquette Obendorf.

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“It’s real creative,” said LaWanda Swain, a custodian with Metro for 6 years. “He played here so they have respect for him.”

“It spices things up. If they cleaned it up then you’d be staring at a wall for 15 minutes,” said Mike Young, 20, a cell phone sales rep downtown. “People remember Sean Taylor because he shouldn’t have died. He hit the hardest like when he cracked yungin’ in the Pro Bowl.”

Numerous videos on YouTube have compiled Taylor’s highlights as a Redskin, including a tackle of punter Brian Moorman in the Pro Bowl that lifted Moorman off his feet to a point where he was parallel to the field.

However, some riders expressed frustration with the station’s illegal art.

“It grows and grows until they clean it up,” said Joe, an older man in a white dress shirt, a Brookland resident for more than two decades. “The kids that do it are talented, but they can put their talents to better use.”

As a regular rider of the red line for more than a decade, I can remember the walls at Brookland being cleaned, “buffed” in the language of graffiti, about five years ago.

“The graffiti is on CSX property, not Metro property. Typically, when we become aware of graffiti, our goal is to remove it within 24 hours,” said Angela Gates, a Media Relations officer with Metro.

CSX did not respond to email and phone call requests for comment.

“There have been no graffiti-related arrests or citations in the last year at Brookland-CUA,” said Gates who emphasized that the property is outside of Metro’s jurisdiction.

With no apparent plans to clean the walls and a lack of enforcement around graffiti, the Sean Taylor mural will continue to be a distinctive cultural landmark for the Brookland Metro station.

Civil War enthusiasts & volunteers needed this Saturday at Fort Bunker Hill Park clean up in NE

courtesy brooklandavenue.com/blog

 

Dream City, Divided City, Dodge City, Drama City, and Diamond City are some of the vernacular names for the city. The Syndicate recognizes the city’s claim as the Fort City.     

According to the National Park Service, “In 1860, the Union capital, Washington, D.C., was a sleepy city of approximately 62,000 residents. The city sat almost completely unprotected, with Fort Washington, the lone fortification, being 12 miles south. Virginia, a Confederate state, lay on one side of the city, and Maryland, a slave-owning state, was on the other, leaving Washington dangerously vulnerable. Realizing the potential danger the city faced, the Union army constructed additional fortifications for the city. By 1865, the Defenses of Washington included 68 forts, supported by 93 detached batteries for field guns, 20 miles of rifle pits, and covered ways, wooden blockhouses at three key points, 32 miles of military roads, several stockaded bridgeheads, and four picket stations. Along the circumference of the 37-mile circle of fortifications were emplacements for a total of 1501 field and siege guns of which 807 guns and 98 mortars were in place. The defenseless city of 1860 had become one of the most heavily fortified cities of the world.”     

One of the these forts, Fort Bunker Hill Park at 14th & Otis Street NE is in need of preservationist volunteers and city historians this Saturday, April 10th to participate in Park Day, sponsored since 1996 by the Civil War Preservation Trust.    

courtesy Fort Circle Park National Recreation Trail

 

Fort Bunker Hill was built in the fall of 1861 by the 11th Massachusetts Infantry and was named after the Revolutionary fortification at Bunker Hill, Massachusetts. It occupied an important position between Fort Totten and Fort Lincoln. Thirteen guns and mortars were mounted in the fort. Unfortunately, little evidence of Fort Bunker Hill is still visible. It is bounded by 14th, Otis, 13th, and Perry Streets, NE.    

Fort Bunker Hill climbs to 226 feet (68.88 meters) above sea level. Fort Bunker Hill is located at latitude – longitude coordinates (also called lat – long coordinates or GPS coordinates) of N 38.935389 and W -76.988031. 

According to the Friends of Fort Bunker Hill Park, founded in 2009 by a concerned group of neighbors who wanted to contribute to the renovation and upkeep of Fort Bunker Hill Park, ”During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps worked on the park, planting trees, construction walkways and building a picnic ground and amphitheater. The amphitheater originally had space to entertain over 400 people. The picnic ground was located in the southwest corner and had 12 picnic tables with benches for those who wished to enjoy the outdoor eating facilities. By July of 1938, the National Park Service began a series of “Thursday after-sunset recreational programs” using the amphitheater as its primary location. ”    

All able bodied and able minded men, women, and children are need and all are welcome this Saturday, April 10th from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm at the corner of 14th & Otis St. NE to work alongside the U.S. National Park Service, Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr., and members of the Brookland Neighborhood Civic Association, Michigan Park Citizens Association, and Greater Brookland Garden Club.     

What to Bring:  Gloves, Clippers, Water     

What to Wear:   Long Sleeves, Long Pants, Closed-toe Shoes     

Weather:  This is a sunshine-only event.  In the event of rain, we will re-schedule.     

For more information, contact David Grosso, President, Friends of Fort Bunker Hill Park at (202) 207-5894 / FtBunkerHillParkFriends@gmail.com or go to http://www.fortbunkerhillfriends.org/    

H/T to Brookland Avenue for great post here     

Fort Circle Park National Recreation Trail here     

Six Big Ideas about the city’s Fort Circle Parks here.

Michael Jackson graff defaced at Brookland Station

Circa summer 2009. Courtesy Wash Syndicate

The below was taken this morning.

Courtesy Wash Syndicate

Photo of the Day_February 5, 2010

Rest in Peace Sean Taylor, Washington Redskin 4IFE

 

Red Line – CUA / Brookland Station