Housing a Constitutional Amendment XXVII

Housing a Constitutional Amendment is an ongoing series of flyers that are like the rantings of a homeless person committed to paper. The first one I picked up put a Christian spin on the issue.

Later, I found this even stranger example. The eccentric details include "PHONE BLOCK ESCORT SERVICE CALL CONGRESS", "SURRENDER YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE" and "COUNTER IN CULTURE".

The back of the flyer lays out a plan wherein the homeless can sue those who are responsible for their condition. It's written in poor English and riddled with typos.

Is this flyer calling for a protest of non-violence?

This one takes on prostitution and the sex industry. Best quote: "Masturbation law in topless clubs repealed; with regulation. Man must no ex pose him self (sic) and secretion must be confined inside clothes."
The back states "There are three major Industries proven to assist forced homelessness. 1)AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY 2)SOCIAL, RECREATIONAL, AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY 3)THE SEX INDUSTRY."

It targets the Village Voice for a boycott because of all the adult services ads in the back. part of the rationale is "We found every organization in the paper practicing Social Control. Under this Social Control, a person in need of socializing would find all avenues closed accept (sic) the pornography and prostitution the Village Voice offered."

The creator of this campaign is very concerned about AIDS, writing "So we investigated Safe Sex. We found only One Way of not catching the AIDS VIRUS through a five step process. THE FIVE STEP PROCESS: 1) Proper dating skills 2) A proper dating environment 3) A courting period (dating period) 4) An AIDS TEST of both partners before any sex 5) No cheating sexually on your date."

Next up is drug law reform and I'm guessing that the ideas here is that marijuana should be tolerated more and alcohol less, the same program suggested by the late comedian Bill Hicks.
The back of this flyer has the same text as the prostitution reform flyer.


Nothing in the text follows up on America's oil consumption.


And now it's back to sex...


The author calls on reforms for topless clubs but how many men have either gotten or given AIDS at strip joint?


Every version has the wording of the proposed amendment and a P.O. box to write to if you want to help the cause. That part of the flyer is written in proper English but, if you ask me, a constitutional amendment guaranteeing housing is the craziest idea here.

Project Light

Christians don't post many flyers in NYC and I had to go to Long Island City to find this one. This event is giving away lots of free stuff - Bibles, clothing, hotdogs, popcorn, sodas, fruit juices, cold water, and "lots of personal items for your home."

If you read the Bible, you'll see that Jesus used to provide snacks and refreshments to his followers, like loaves, fishes and wine. He probably handed out some personal items for the home too, but that never made it into the gospel.

Steve!

This time it's a phone number and friend that was lost. If I were Steve, I would miss knowing someone with a moniker as colorful as "Kayak" Rick.

Lost Passport

Losing something in NYC isn't always hopeless. A friend of mine returned a lost wallet that she found on the sidewalk and I myself returned a stolen purse that the thief left on the street.

Years ago, I found a cell phone. I held onto it for a while, waiting for it to ring. It never did so I took it to a party that was held on a pier. I was standing with a group of people, talking and waiting for the inevitable. Sure enough, someone's phone rang and everyone stopped to check if it was theirs. I pulled mine out too. When it wasn't for me, I acted disappointed and petulantly threw the phone into the river. Everyone was aghast.

Please Help

There are two things about this flyer that I like. First is the writing style. The conversational tone reminds me that Matt is regular guy with a problem that could have happened to any of us. Second, I like that Matt has lost his wallet, but found his friend, Abe.

There's probably a short story in this, but I don't write short stories.

!Bloomberg! - Part 2

Adames, learn to spell.

Darren Bloch

Darren Bloch didn't need a multi-million-dollar war chest to seek public office and nothing says grass roots like flyers you made on a home computer.

But desktop candidacy is no match for the loud, stinky, oily Democratic Party Machine. Rosie Mendez won.

Rudy

First, Rudy Giuliani isn't the greatest con-man that ever lived. He's not even in the top ten. Second, he was a good mayor, better than Dinkins. And third, if this is a one-man effort to ruin Rudy's presidential aspirations, don't bother. He doesn't have enough political experience to make it at the national level.

Perfect Portraits

Did John Singer Sargent post flyers around the city? Gainsborough? Probably not. Found this taped to a phone kiosk in Chelsea.

AIDS Walk

I found this sketch torn from a sketchbook and tacked to an outside bulletin board, along with the usual flyers for computer help, piano lessons and holistic healing.

Who is this man? What does he have to do with the AIDS Walk? And are those earphones of ear muffs?

J.U.S. Evolution

Not many band flyers make this collection because most follow an accepted formula. The J.U.S. Evolution from the Bronx rejects the usual band photo or shocking image clipped from the newspaper in favor of free-form type and heads floating like party balloons. The semi-psychedelic graphics make the guitar player look even more like Hendrix.

Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar - Part 6

Rock out with your socks out. Dan went back to his old flyer and has stuck to it ever since.

Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar - Part 5

Yep, chicks dig dudes who play guitar.

Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar - Part 4

"Where did I put that miniature guitar? I was holding it just a second ago. Oh wait, here it is in my hair. Cool!"

Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar - Part 3

Dan Smith will teach you to sing too. And with your guitar slung that high on your chest, you probably wouldn't get much playing done anyway.

Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar - Part 2

Here the artist illustrates Dan's guitar prowess by showing him work the fretboard with his foot.

Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar

Dan Smith is familiar to all New Yorkers because of his ubiquitous flyers. Any space that allows the posting of flyers - cafes, dry cleaners, hardware stores, etc. - has one from Dan Smith. They usually look like this.







Then Dan tried a series where he let other artists create their own versions of his ads. Here he is interpreted as the third Corey.

Just Furniture

Found in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The cubist computer desk could be the centerpiece of any office.

St. Patricks Day

Stoop sales are often the first opportunity for a future David Oglivy to try his hand at advertising. This junior creative has already picked up on the concept of linking the sale to a holiday. As he develops, he'll learn to call this the St. Patrick's Day Sales Event.

Stoop Sale

Before Craig's List and eBay, the only way to get rid of your stuff was a garage sale, or a stoop sale for us urbanites. My guess is that these people don't have a computer which gives this whole endeavor a retro vibe.