Seattle graffiti gang 3A: artists or assholes?

Jesse Edwards, leader of the 3A graffiti gang, has been profiled in both Seattle Magazine and the Seattle Post-Intelligncer. Some see him as a lovable scamp who refuses to play by artworld rules, but Jonah Spangenthal-Lee reports in The Stranger that others see Edwards as a vicious gang leader and bully. “‘3A is a bunch of meth heads. They have SOME talent but other than that they are just crazy motherfuckers who get fucked up on meth and go kill shit,’ says one post on the Pacific Northwest Graffiti site. 3A stands for American Aerosol Artists or Against All Authority or 3 Assholes, depending on whom you ask. The latter is a disparaging nickname given by Seattle Public Utilities graffiti ranger Anthony Matlock. 3A has its share of detractors in the Seattle graffiti community, but members seem to feed off of the group’s reputation. ‘I think people should be scared,’ says GORE, a 23-year-old 3A member. ‘It’s okay to feel that we’re a gang and a bunch of thugs. We are.’ Cofounder Travis sent me an e-mail touting 3A’s tough-guy reputation, claiming they even have a constitution ‘lightly based on the Mexican mafia code of conduct.'” Read more. Visit Jesse Edwards’ website.