Group of graffiti artists awarded $6.7M in 5Pointz lawsuit in Queens

LONG ISLAND CITY, Queens (WABC) -- There was a huge legal victory for local graffiti artists. A group of them was awarded $6.7 million after their work was destroyed to make room for luxury apartments in Queens.

Back in November, a jury found a real estate developer broke the law when he tore down the 5Pointz complex.

For nearly two decades, a complex of buildings in Long Island City were covered in colorful murals spray painted on by several artists.
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21 artists sued developer Jerry Wolkoff saying the 49 pieces of grafitti were protected works of art.

As a result- every artist was awarded damages after the verdict.



For 7 train riders, 5Pointz, the mecca of graffiti art in Queens might as well have been a stop in the area.
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"It was the only legal outlet that allowed everybody to paint," said graffiti artist Meres One.

Meres One is the artist who ran 5Pointz, but the warehouse came down in 2013 to make way for two luxury towers.


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