Mural of Michael Vick Depicts Him Choking a Puppy Wearing a Cowboys Jersey

die puppies die, originally uploaded by k. vonponyfeather

It's not easy defending the reputation of Philly sports fans. It's typically a very small group that brings the rest of us down with them. Surely the painter of this horrible graffiti will do the same.

But there's no real need to defend this mural that appears to be on the side of a Tire Shop on Allegheny Avenue in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. Who ever uploaded the photo to flickr titled it "die puppies die," a horrific play on the Eagles fight song "Fly Eagles Fly."

I think if nothing else this just shows what little respect some people have for the seriousness of dog fighting. Michael Vick and the Eagles have a long road ahead of them off the field. [another photo below]

Comments

[Drew]

Haha wow that caught me off guard. Can't wait for ESPN and the national media to get a hold of this one...

[Paul]

Coincidentally the color Green is off and it looks like he is wearing a Jag's jersey.

[Paul]

I meant to write the green color is off not the color green is off.

[Matt]

What's the writing above his head that looks like the Eagles logo? And how could those tiny, tiny hands strangle a dog?

[Allan Smithee]

Eagles vs Cowboys is sort of like OU vs Texas.

Both the Eagles and Sooners fans get all worked up about the rivalry but for Cowboy/Longhorn fans its no big deal. Just another game.

[Bryan]

pretty disgusting stuff. still haven't totally come to terms with vick on our team.

but points for artistic verisimilitude for making vick left-handed.

[Bridget]

Fucked up.

[Bryan]

"Eagles vs Cowboys is sort of like OU vs Texas.

Both the Eagles and Sooners fans get all worked up about the rivalry but for Cowboy/Longhorn fans its no big deal. Just another game."

riiight. so that's what 12/28/08 was ... just another game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkQhWGxnr60

[Scott]

What is the black version of white trash?

[will.H]

can we blame this one on drunk frat boys too or is that not a reasonable scapegoat like usual?

[Walklett]

This is funny, get over it.

[Allan Smithee]

re: riiight. so that's what 12/28/08 was ... just another game.

Yeah, that was a big game but because of the playoffs not because it was against the Eagles. Cowboys fans really don't care about the "rivalry" the way Eagles fans do.

[will]

allan i can see why it would be that way for cowboys/longhorns fans during this decade. since the cowboys and longhorns have been on the wrongside of lopsided results in both rivalries.

ou: 6-3 versus texas, with an avg margin of victory in those wins being 23.6 points, while avg 30.4 points a game.
eagles: 13-5 versus cowboys, with an avg margin of victory in wins being 20.8 points, while averaging 29 points a game.

just another game.

[will.H]

bryan that like of the game was pretty nice. i like the last shot of dawkins.. almost like he knew it was his last home game as an eagle.

[Matt P.]

I don't really think this is any more a reflection of Philly sports fans than any other graffiti art. Dude may not even like sports, he just wanted to paint this. The Vick issue has become much bigger in Philly among protesters and casual or non-fans than it has the season-ticket holder types who never miss a game.

[kmblue]

@scott

That's Kensington so it's prob a Puerto Rican shop.

[Tracer Bullet]

Black, white, Puerto Rican. Can't we just agree on "asshole" and leave it at that?

[Muscles]

It's sad when the judicial system means nothing to society anymore. Someone can be convicted of a crime, be sentenced and carry out the full term of their sentence spending years in jail an losing their whole estate, Get of out jail and and still be punished after he payed all of his dues.

Why even have jails, lets just pelt people with rocks for the rest of their lives.

u people take yourselves way to seriously

and FYI this picture is funny, get that hamster out of your ass (I'm looking at you PETA)

[will.H]

its actually really good art work. c'mon give credit

isnt everyones soap box caved in by this point?

[jd]

anyone trying to spell out the logo above vick?

i got:
E-S-C-S-Q-PHI

[Hone]

I actually live in Fishtown and drive pass this on my way to work out in Conshy every day. It's on York St - past Front and right before you get to American. I actually took a pic of it yesterday with my cell phone and sent it to my girl. I'm pretty sure it was up as of Monday or Tuesday. I was sitting at the light and almost spit up my coffee...although it's pretty ridiculous I guarantee it helps business

[phatti]

@ muscles

I personally am ready to move past the dogfighting thing. But just because the man did his time and lost a lot of money doesn't mean that everyone has to forgive him. The state has punished him as it felt appropriate, and can't punish him further, which is as it should be. But people can still be angry at Vick. They don't have to move past it.

A parallel--say tonight some drunk idiot sees me walking down the street and, unprovoked, hits me with a baseball bat and breaks my arm. He gets convicted of assault and spends some time in jail. When he gets out, do my wife and I have to like the guy?

[Gonzo]

I've been buying tires on Allegheny Ave for over 40 years. Never again after this shop signed Michael Vick to be their spokesman. How could Vick do this?

[Muscles]

are you going to picket in front of his house or work with signs saying "this guy gets drunk and hits people with things"?

[Kenzokid]

First person that explains what the hell ESCSQD means gets a nickel.

[anon]

They also can't spell Allegheny.

[john]

i think its funny too. get over it people

[Munkcy]

@ will.H

"isnt everyones soap box caved in by this point?"

Unfortunately, this Vick "issue" isn't going away anytime soon. I advise you to pull up a chair and get comfortable.

[sp]

@ Walklett & john

you can die.

[Muscles]

@sp

We all can die. Thankyou for being so observant

[MikeB]

My favorite part of these photos is how on one side of the shops sign it says tireS "r" us and on the other side they ran out of space and had to shorten it to tire "r" us

[chrza]

Did someone (or team of someones) really go through the process of 1) choosing that (incredibly original) business name, 2) getting two signs fabricated, and 3) installing them, without noticing that Tire "R" Us and Tires "R" Us are not the same?

Anyway, that mural is mind-blowing.

[Jason R.]

ESC is the name of a tagging (graffiti) squad (SQD), it took me one google search to find this info, keep your nickel. Whether it's a gang or not is up for debate. Either way you're dumb for giving this any credence beyond the artistic expression of taggers.

[Sarah]

I'm guessing ESCSQD is "escape squad" and denotes the group or person who drew this. their "tag", that is.

[kensy]

Thats Jaworski! He looks tan.

[Jaysus]

UPDATE: http://i25.tinypic.com/2u4sav8.jpg

BOOOOOO!!!!

[jd]

sarah-
are they any relation to the escape club?

[Karl]

I want that painted in my house

[Sal]

you gotta hope this is painted over immediately.

i hate the Cowboys as much as the next guy, but the horrific nature of this graffiti has nothing to do with the rivalry. ignoramuses like the people who painted this have no idea how they're going to tarnish Philadelphia's reputation by not understanding the gravity of the situation.

i'm slowly losing faith in humanity. this just punched the gas pedal.

[Dave W]

this is funny

[Walklett]

@sp

Nothing like people claiming to hold life so sacred telling complete strangers "you can die." I wish you nothing but the best, you fucking hypocrite.

[joeb]

it's not die puppies die. it's german, for the puppies, the. and nobody who speaks german could ever be evil.

[mikey]

e.s.c.
every second counts...

by 4ever e.s.c. and mad e.s.c.

4ever is the biggest graffiti writer in philly....

[ryan]

what do you expect in Kensington?

[Jarrod]

I'm really not surprised. Classlessness and a Philadelphia fans have always gone hand-in-hand. Even less shocking is how your mullet and jorts-wearing crowd gave him a standing ovation at your game tonight.

[Jaques]

What a-hole painted this? Hope bloated load Andy Reid is proud - f'er has never won a frigging thing, except for, obviously, a few 100 eating contests. Banner "the cold standard" - loser, lie-maker who wants "character guys-only." Then there's Vick - hope some bigger mother linebacker who loves dogs whales him good this year.

[wolf]

It's hilarious. Mike Vick is a convicted felon, someone quite artistically depicts how the Eagles over look his crimes to win a sports event. And this spray painter is an a-hole?

[BrianS]

This is tasteless, no doubt.

But, I saw this got linked on Yahoo's "Shutdown Corner" and the writer had this to say about it:

"...you know that I think Michael Vick jokes are inbounds. I'll make fun of Michael Vick all day long, but I don't think that's what we're looking at here. The "art" above equates the domination of the Dallas Cowboys with the physical domination and likely murder of a puppy dog, both as things that are worthy of celebration..."

Isn't this just as likely to be the graffiti "artist" going for the shock value of a sick joke?

If so, why are we outraged at this, but laugh when "Family Guy" makes an episode about Hitler?

[Jason R.]

@ BrianS

right on

[JHG722]

http://www.myspace.com/uknowhoib

Funny, he looks like a very classy and intelligent individual...

[Pete D]

Amazing at the outrage at this piece of art on a wall. It is ART- a form of expression that can offend many without causing any real harm, other than the misinterpretation or use of its message.

It's a painting on a wall, people. You don't like it? Fine. It's created by a person you don't understand in an area of the city you've never been in? Fine. But save the ignorance for another topic.

[drac77]

Last time he played them, this happened:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojp2DkYpw0U&feature=PlayList&p=1B41AD7F635B831E&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=4

[Hone]

I drove by again this morning and it's already been painted over - nothing but a gray wall now. Well that was short-lived

[landers]

michael vick is a fucking scumbag. its not as if he got caught fighting a dog once (which we still be horrendous) he got caught RUNNING an interatate dog fighting operation! I dont care if he gambles or gets caught selling weed at his dog fighting farm, but wtf? he has a dog fighting farm?!?!?! Going to jail for 16 months does not make me think hes a swell guy now, he ran that shit for 6 years. Thats one of the cruelest, most inhumane thing anyone can do, train puppies to be evil and then get them hurt for money. FUCK HIM. and fuck the eagles for being so stupid as to think its ok to bring this shithead to town.

[Steve in Austin]

Matt wrote:

"Eagles vs Cowboys is sort of like OU vs Texas.

Both the Eagles and Sooners fans get all worked up about the rivalry but for Cowboy/Longhorn fans its no big deal. Just another game."

What?!? You're joking, right?!! Texas/OU isn't just another game--it's the biggest regular season game of the year and BOTH universities care about it very much!

I don't know if you've ever been to a game at DKR Memorial stadium, because almost every single one I've ever been to has people wearing "OU sucks" shirts.

Near the end of blowout games against lesser opponents, it's not uncommon to hear UT students chanting the same thing too.

[jacksondog]

It's in Kensington? Shocker..

[heyitsadam]

It's not easy to defend Philly fans because they ARE scum and behave like animals. The irony is, the fans who behave like "animals" are embracing a player who kills them. .

So let's recap: Eagle fans have 1) booed Santa Claus, 2) booed a child with cancer, 3) cheered for Michael Irvin with a broken neck, and 4) gave a standing ovation to a guy who electrocuted and drowned no less than 20 dogs.

You stay classy, Philadelphia ;)

[Ryan H.]

that is fucking hilarious.

[dan.k]

Really, Eagles fans booes Santa Claus? NEVER heard that one before. Look up the entire circumstances of the afternoond and who this "Santa Claus" really was.

Answer: a completely drunk slob pulled from the stands

[stevefredericks]

brett favre is a hunter, so green bay fans are scum too?

[jonolan]

One has to expect this sort of glorification of Sick Vick from certain quarters of the population within America.

As so many people - most notably, Whoopi Goldberg - dog fighting and other forms of animal cruelty are a normal part of minority "cultures." Given the "ESCSQD" tag and the style of the defacement on the building, it's likely just another expression of that particular dis-functionality and perversion of those sorts.

[Diana D]

This is NOT funny, and I truly hope that anyone who thinks it is finds themselves stuck in a cage too small to turn around looking at the sharp end of a needle ready to put them down because they are no longer wanted.

[lex]

i enjoy betting on the Eagles at www.lines2bet.com!

[Reccia]

Vick choking a dog?!!! Aren't the Eagles the ones that always choke? They are the only team in the NFC East that has not and will never win a Super Bowl. What a bunch of losers. The team and the fans are so pathetic that all they can do is try to justify their existence. They are not worthy of being in a division that has won more Super Bowls than any other division. NONE OF WHICH THE EAGLES HAVE CONTIBUTED. HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA EAGLES SUCK. Try winning some Super Bowls like real teams and maybe then you’ll be considered a team of only semi pathetic losers. That is what your team is shooting for. Being "only semi losers"

[The Rational Fanatic]

Sorry Philly,

But you signed up for this, so you got him. If he rushes for 1,000+ kudos to you; but if he detracts from what should have been a legit playoff run...then you get what you signed up for. Out.

[xyonist]

Seriously people, let's think for a second. Michael Vick didn't kill those dogs, those dogs killed EACH OTHER. Did Micheal Vick train those dogs to kill each other? NO, he did not. The dog's owners did that. When the dogs were too injured to continue living, was Michael Vick the person who physically electrocuted those animals? NO, he was not. The OWNERS of those animals were the ones who physically killed them. And why didn't those dogs simply refuse to fight each other to the death? Because they're STUPID FUCKING ANIMALS! Why is everyone getting so bent out of shape about this? Is there a fucking dog shortage or something? Not a single one of you had ever been in contact with any of those dogs that died, so what the fuck are any of you bitching about? This kind of shit goes on every single day (and twice on Sunday, ironically enough) in America and I don't see anybody doing a goddamn thing about it. So please, get off your high horse and shut the fuck up!

[SpeedDemon]

I don't remember the child w/ cancer, but I'd boo Santa. Bastard never did get me that Atari 2600. And I almost broke *my* neck cheering when Irvin broke his. Biggest. Asshole. Ever.

Vick was an idiot even before we knew about the dog bit. People have done worse and redeemed themselves when given a second chance. What will do remains to be seen, and whether or not one ever chooses to forgive is based on their own personal values and upbringing. My judgment is only mine.

The artist's judgment is only his. Not Philly or Kensington or maybe even the tire guy.

FWIW, the comments left on site for are for the most part more intelligent and thought out (if blunt) than on just about any other. Not sure why this is.