San Francisco officials enraged over Justin Bieber graffiti
San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera is not a Belieber.
On his website, Herrera vowed to "identify and punish" those responsible for spray painting the name and release date of Justin Bieber's latest album, Purpose, on sidewalks across San Francisco. In a letter sent to executives at Def Jam Records and Universal Music Group, Herrera wrote that the stunt was illegal, and he planned to "aggressively pursue all available penalties and costs from those responsible for lawless marketing tactics that intend to financially benefit Mr. Bieber and your respective companies." Each violation could result in a $2,500 fine, CBS San Francisco reports.
The city has heard from several residents complaining about the ads, which have not washed away despite several rainstorms, and Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru vowed to take a "strong stand" against taggers "who believe they are above the law when it comes to blighting our city." Bieber, Def Jam Records, and Universal Music Group have yet to comment or stencil their responses on the sidewalks of San Francisco.
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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