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James S. Fischel, the graffiti writer linked to stash of 1,500 cans of spray paint, is a spokesman for victims of fentanyl and homelessness who has been unfairly targeted by police.
At least, so says Michelle Duncan, who has organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to help Fischel “fight these unjust charges and continue advocating for the real issues facing our community.”
The crowdfunding effort seeks to raise $25,000. It has raised $3,855 so far.
Fischel’s run-in with the law began after a tagger identified only as GIMER (Graffiti Is Me Escaping Reality) appeared in a May 17 episode of the web series Chaostown about how Portland is losing the war against graffiti. GIMER is filmed, masked, in a room full of spray paint, backpacks, ladders and gloves.
“We stockpile this shit,” GIMER says. “This a collective of artists.”
Last week, Portland police announced they had located the cache and linked it to Fischel, who was “supplying graffiti vandals with supplies.” Fischel himself was away from Portland, but police were “aware of his location and pursuing criminal charges.”
“James Fischel has not been arrested yet,” Portland Police Bureau spokesman Mike Benner said in an email today. “We have not sought an arrest warrant as this is still an open and ongoing investigation.”
In a wide-ranging interview with Chaostown, GIMER said graffiti should be of little concern because more serious scourges, fentanyl and homelessness, were destroying people’s lives.
“As long as there’s homeless people smoking fentanyl on the street, graffiti is legal,” GIMER said.
Duncan, his GoFundMe sponsor, agrees.
“Please consider donating to help James fight these charges and stand against this miscarriage of justice,” Duncan writes. “Together, we can make a difference and continue to address the real issues facing our community.”
Duncan didn’t immediately return a message sent through GoFundMe.
Staff at Chaostown didn’t return an email asking about Fischel. In the comment section of Chaostown’s episode on graffiti, the show says, “Chaostown has not been questioned by law enforcement.”