Citizens Disconnect: Your One Stop Shop for Graffiti Art Criticism

With the Citizens Connect app and website, Boston allows its residents to take a picture of a problem, send it to the city along with their precise location, and request help. The site is filled with complaints about sidewalk trash, graffiti, potholes, and dead trees. It also contains the occasional oddity. Welcome to “Citizens Disconnect,” the series wherein we round up our favorite few from the past week:

Everyone’s a Critic

Concerned Citizen: “Dumb tag. Little talent. Please remove.”

City Response: None yet.

We love that this person doesn’t want the graffiti removed simply because it is graffiti but because it doesn’t meet the complainer’s aesthetic standards.

The Guilt Trip:

Concerned Citizen: “My daughter was very excited when our broken light was fixed. On our Father’s Day walk we went to see the repairs. As you can see, nothing has been done. Please restore my 4 year old’s faith in city government and her trust in her daddy.”

City Response: “Closed. Case Closed. Case Resolved. No problems found as of 7/8/13.”

Thet idea of adding emotional incentives to your Citizens Connect complaints is a clever one. Don’t just fix this light because its your job. Do it for the children!

Could You Send a Maintenance Crew to Address the Rampant Government Spying? Thanks.

Concerned Citizen: “People__What is Up with the drones in our skies at 3am 4am 5am? Is that necessary? Question Everything and get the answers straight. Maybe it is safe. Maybe it is not.”

City Response: They haven’t responded, obviously. What are they hiding?!?!

Sigh.

Concerned Citizen: “You’re letting Muslims protest less than 5 months after the marathon bombing. Islam is a political ideology that is barbaric and has no place in the US. It is oppressive to minorities, gays and women. Islam is not peaceful and should not be recognized as a religion but as a political believe..”

City Response: “Closed. Case Closed. Case Noted.”

So, obviously this isn’t amusing so much as it is sad and reprehensible and all the rest. But also, what is this doing on a city services website dominated by complaints about non-resident permit parking? Did this person think he or she would find a receptive and responsive audience? Or did he or she take a wrong turn on the way to the Boston.com comment boards and wind up on Citizens Disconnect by accident? We may well never know.

How Are They Swirling?

Concerned Citizen: “Pinkberry got robbed last night & we found this out on the street on Comm Ave.”

City Response: None yet.

We point out this complaint only because it is a) an odd thing to find on the street and b) the phrase “How are we swirling?”