In a seemingly un-ironic display of sentiment -- this time political, as well as personal -- a graffitist tagged the side of the Food Market at Duane and Echo Park Avenue this weekend, in response to Friday's news of the acquittal of the New York cops who shot a young man named Sean Bell.

Graffiti read:

R.I.P. Sean Bell Fuck police

When the Food Market moved into its cinderblock building about five years ago, it painted over a large mural on Duane Street. I am not sure why they painted the mural over if it wasn't the standard belief that murals attract taggers. The owners chose a nice, bright ochre color, which they have had to refresh dozens and dozens of times after being hit by taggers attracted by the tabula-ochre the wall provided. I'm curious to find out if the Sean Bell message has been painted out.

Meanwhile, about thirty yards away, a different kind of paint-vandal struck in a very un-lovely way. Someone hurled about a gallon of fakey-looking green paint over the image of the pink dinosaur that had been painted on the side of the artist's studio facing Echo Park Ave.