Uh, Mr. Policeman, Its Clear You've Got the Wrong Man

Recently, a photo of a graffiti tagger tagging a cop car started making national news.  It was big news because a teen named Luis Rodriguez reportedly outed himself by liking an action photo of himself on Facebook.

The story is this--After the Huntington Beach Riots, the Huntington Beach Police Department posted some photos of the alleged culprits on their own Facebook page.  Then, a friend of Luis Rodriguez tagged him and liked the photo.  Luis Rodriguez was subsequently arrested by the HBPD.

The mainstream media is reporting the story as an example of how foolish supposed criminals can be with social media.  True.

However, the thing is, it is obvious that the police arrested the wrong dude.  The guy tagging the cars is clearly a different guy that is shown in the other photos.  The guy tagging the cars is wearing a red hat with a white emblem over the back side of the cap--the pictures of Luis Rodriguez show him wearing a different red hat with no white emblem.  Furthermore, the dude tagging the cars has a clear 5 o'clock shadow where his facial hair stretches down from his sideburns.  The clean shaven Luis Rodriguez does not have any hair stubble growth on his face.  Perhaps Luis got into other mischief during the Huntington Beach Riots, but if the police are saying that they caught the dude who tagged the cop cars, well, then you've definitely caught the wrong dude.

On a different but related note, even though M&F has reportedly warned the street art community about the dangers and perils of loose behavior on social media, it hasn't seemed to discourage most folks from being completely open about 'vandalism'.  But this story should serve as a stark reminder.  Listen, M&F isn't telling you to do anything illegal, but, if you're going to be doing something that might be, be smart.  Don't incriminate yourself over social media.  And remember this street artists--Facebook is not a 'safe zone'!  The Huntington Beach Police Department has a page for God's sake!

Stay up, and stay smart!

(Check out the pics below to see how it is clear that Luiz Rodriguez is not the cop car tagger!)

Street Art is Kind of like Meditation

Street art is kind of like meditation for those who do it.

For those who want a taste, just look at the beautiful outside shot, breathe in and out, and repeat this sticker name 'Ooooohhhhhmmmm' with each exhalation.

Ohms postal slap riding in Ventura County on the Pacific Coast Highway.

Malibu Street Art

Malibu has a relatively active street art and surf sticker scene.

Like here.  These are some cool hand painted pasters put up on an ebox in the heart of Malibu.

Dig it.~

Tweaking Out

A beachside rock gets carved with some art from 'Tweak'.

Wonder if this was more of the person's state of mind at the time rather than a proper artist name?

Along the beautiful beach of Ventura County.

Livin in LA - Vacation in Carlsbad

Carlsbad has arguably become M&F's favorite local vacation spot near Los Angeles.

Perhaps it is the blend of the chill beach town community vibes mixed with good friends like Snyder, but Carlsbad is the ultimate vacation spot nearby Los Angeles.  (M&F enjoys Carlsbad so much we have fantasies about moving there!).  But for now, Carlsbad is just a rad vacation destination~

Pictured above, Snyder has an ongoing battle with some neighborhood crows, and the above shot is a mock shot of Snyder stomping a crow.  Of course, Snyder would never actually hurt a crow and found it in this flattened condition, but Snyder does love to huck a water balloon or a few at a noisy murder of crows.

Click the jump for a huge pictorial view of M&F's vacation in Carlsbad.

Snyder is Omnipresent with his Art

While visiting Snyder in Carlsbad, he didn't tell us about this spot.  He didn't have to.  His art is just everywhere.

Here are a couple beach front garbage bins featuring Snyder's signature drip stencil technique, and a custom plant pot.  Looks like the art is doing better than the plant~

Literally, eveywhere a person walks in Carlsbad they will have the pleasure of encountering Snyder's omnipresent art.  It just makes the bland stuff more interesting.

Livin' in LA - Vacation at The Penguin Hotel South Beach

***Another feature in our ongoing series Livin in LA - Vacation in LA***

^You can tell this place is money by the ceilings!

The second place M&F stayed in South Beach was at The Penguin Hotel.  The Penguin is the sister hotel to The President, and the backs of each building sit up next to each other.  So The President faces Collins Ave., while the Penguin has an even better view overlooking the ocean and facing Ocean Drive.

The location was fabulous, right in the heart of the South Beach night life, and a walk across the street to the ocean.

At The Penguin, the rooms were tastefully done, and the full wall prints of nature were really amazing. Once again, our only complaint is that the drain was completely clogged in the shower.  It was the same problem at both hotels, leading us to think that it might be an overall plumbing problem at The President and The Penguin.

Hopefully, the plumbing issues have got fixed by now.  M&F had a great stay and would definitely recommend vacationing at The Penguin Hotel in South Beach~

Snyder Always Has a Story

One of the coolest things about traveling around Snyder's hometown of Carlsbad with the artist is that you don't just see the art--you hear the story.

Snyder always has a story, and this one was entertaining.  This image features one of Snyder's favorites featuring a local Carlsbad homeless man, Same Ol'.  The story is that one of these multi-million dollar homes was built years ago by the founder of Airwalk shoes.  The Airwalk guy, after seeing Same Ol' hanging around drinking on the beach, hired him to do night security during construction at his beach house.  Snyder laughs when he says it was quite a scene to see Same Ol' perched up on the balcony, playing guitar, drinking, and singing like a king.

Same Ol' has since passed away.  But thanks to Snyder, his image and his presence still rocks out, and his presence is still felt on Carlsbad Beach.

Riding Like a Champ

Stickers getting poled and riding in Carlsbad.

Also notice Shasta in the back of Snyder's 'tricycle'.

Riding like a champ!

Sunset in Summerland

Despite the rainy weather today in Los Angeles, these gorgeous shots of sunset in Summerland provide a reminder why those of us who call this place home choose live in Southern California~

Click the jump for more juicy pics

The World's Smallest Front Yard

The World's Smallest Front Yard is in Venice Beach.

So small, that a shadow from a pole almost obscures the view.

Fun thing that someone did to make their yard special.  Click the link for a closer view

Just Say Know to Drugs

The garbage dumpster anti-drug campaign did not get as much publicity as Nancy Reagan's 'Just Say No' campaign.  Saying no must have worked.  Because all the kids from that generation now 'know' drugs.

Stuck up in Huntington Beach with slaps from Bankrupt Slut, Globe, and Tweedle Guns saying 'Charlie Don't Surf'.

Upper Decker

Deck gets up on a walk box in Huntington Beach.

Next to a Gandhi themed sticker from Realize.

Rotten Beach Warning

Rotting Fresh gets stuck up along a non-patrolled section of the coast in Huntington Beach.

Sticker Heaven at TK Burger in Huntington Beach (pt. 2)

Part 2 of the ginormous sticker combo at TK Burger in Huntington Beach.

Click the jump for more OC flavor.

Sticker Heaven at TK Burger in Huntington Beach

TK Burger in Huntington Beach is sticker heaven.

The entire outside is a massive sticker combo, with some stickers dating back years and years. The burgers weren't bad, either.

Click the jump for many more pics of the action at TK's.

Livin in LA - Vacation in Huntington Beach (pt. 2)

Part 2 of M&F's 'Livin in LA - Vacation in Huntington Beach'. 

Click the jump for 16 more pics of Vacationing in Huntington Beach.

Teacher Travels to Florida

Teacher travels to Florida to spread his message to 'teach our children well'.

What an incredible spot to get up, next to a beautiful white sand beach.

Cult Doom

Cult Doom sticker spotted along a trail leading down to the Pacific Ocean.

Glorious California

God, I love this state!