Chicago Graffiti Declares Rod Blagojevich a FELON

A recent trip to Chicago was a fun experience. It was my first trip to the Windy City, and I was wondering where that wind was. It was August, hot, humid, and a bit uncomfortable. However, my daughter and I were having a great time doing some sightseeing and walking to a train station when, as we crossed an alley, a bit of graffiti caught our eye. Painted on an alley wall was a picture of Rod Blagojevich wearing a white shirt, pants and combing his hair. Across the picture was a graphic of a stamp which read FELON. That stopped us in our tracks. We ducked into the alleyway and looked at the graffiti. It was perfectly done. It had to have taken quite a bit of time. It was in no way an eyesore. It did hurt the eyes however. Ouch!

I am not from Chicago, not from Illinois, nor do I know all of the facts of the Blagojevich case. I have read about the incidents in the newspapers, seen reports on television and saw his appearance on The Apprentice. I also saw the outcome of the recent trial, which found Rod Blagojevich guilty on one count of twenty-four.

I'm sure that this case is not over. I don't know the plans of either side of the case, but know that there will be much more to be considered. That information has been shared by the media often.

Still, I was a bit surprised to see the graffiti in the downtown area of Chicago. How many tourists have noticed this? I'm sure we are not among just a few who have experienced this sighting. It surely is a statement. And it does gain your attention as you are passing by.

I was impressed with the cleanliness of the Chicago area. I must admit that, of the many cities I have visited in the US, this did seem to be one of the most clean and pleasant cities. I think that very fact added a bit of shock to the surprise of seeing this graffiti. I'm sure with the attention paid to the condition of the buildings, streets and common areas of this city, that this graffiti was not a quickly appearing, sudden bit of street art.

I have to admit it did make us chuckle. It was sort of cute. The art work was pretty good. The likeness of former Governor Blagojevich was pleasant. The fact that he was combing his hair was entertaining. The FELON stamp across the art work was the only bothersome detail. The artist accomplished his mission in as much as the graffiti did make us consider the statement.