Connecticut

Iconic Banksy ‘Ghetto 4 Life’ mural removed from the Bronx, headed to Connecticut: ‘Took a piece of my heart’

Published

2 years ago

February 28, 2024

Iconic Banksy ‘Ghetto 4 Life’ mural removed from the Bronx, headed to Connecticut: ‘Took a piece of my heart’

An iconic Banksy graffiti installation in the Bronx that initially drew the ire of some but grew to be considered “the pride of the neighborhood” was shipped off to Connecticut this week.

South Bronx residents were left feeling betrayed as the exterior wall that displayed the “Ghetto 4 Life” graffiti was removed from 651 Elton Avenue due to the building’s demolition.

“Everybody was crying around here. This is art,” Steve Jacob told The Post of the mural, which has been in the neighborhood since October 2013.

“The gentleman made it for us, the community. I’ve lived all my life in the Bronx and this was made for the Bronx people,” said Jacob, who owns a store across the street from the Banksy piece. “And now someone’s taken it away from us.”

The graffiti first appeared on the wall when the elusive British artist tagged a variety of New York locales during his “Better Out Than In” series.

Despite being blasted by then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg as “defacement” and panned by some who found the white artist’s use of the word “ghetto” offensive in the historically blighted area, the work survived far longer than most Banksys in the city, many of which were painted over by rival artists or lost to real estate development.

The work depicted a boy painting the slogan “Ghetto 4 Life” in bubble letters as a butler serves him spray cans on a tray.

It had been protected by plexiglass under a roll-up gate hidden by makeshift curtains, according to Welcome2TheBronx, which reported on the building’s demolition last year.

On Monday, Jacob watched as workers from an outfit called Fine Art Shippers clamped an iron frame around the mural and sawed it off. They then packed it in wood and loaded it upright on a flatbed truck and drove away.

“How are you going to leave the community like this? It’s poor, there’s a lot of crime – but we had this piece of art, and you took it away,” Jacob said.

“Whatever [Banksy] did in the picture, he did for the community, and now that the building is gone, the owner of the building took the art and left and moved it to Connecticut, not even the Bronx or New York. The community here is very upset and we can’t do anything about it.”

The loss of the art also hit home for Quentin Soto, 34, a local store manager.

“They really took a piece of my heart. This mural was the pride of the neighborhood, and as you can’t see, we don’t have a lot of pride to spare,” Soto said.

“The Bronx ain’t Florence, if you know what I mean. But we had this mural, and it brought people here from all over the world who appreciate fine art. I liked to brag to people, ‘You know that Banksy mural Ghetto 4 Life? I live right there.’ Sort of like how you’d brag if you lived next door to the Empire State Building or something. I really loved it,” he continued.

“Banksy is all about the people living in the locations he stencils. Something about the picture always felt to me to be a dead-on representation of what we’re all about.

“And now it’s in Connecticut, of all places. Not the Bronx Museum of Art, not the Metropolitan Museum of Art, not the Guggenheim. Connecticut.”

Another local resident, electrician Carlo Cintron, 44, called the development a “big loss for the community.

“This was something really unique, really special. I’d walk by it all the time and always stop to admire it, to appreciate it, because in a way I always felt like it was too good for this neighborhood, know what I mean? But here it was. We thought it was permanent, but I guess nothing’s permanent in New York real estate.”

It was unclear how much the section of the wall was sold for. An intentionally shredded Banksy has fetched some $25 million at auction.

David Damaghi, who owns 651 Elton Avenue, did not immediately return a call to The Post, nor did Fine Art Shippers.

The owner of 800 Union Avenue in Bridgeport, where the piece was set to be displayed in a courtyard, according to the New York Daily News, could not immediately be reached.

The Post also reached out to a representative of Banksy for comment.

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Connecticut

Early morning forecast for March 12

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19 minutes ago

March 12, 2026

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Connecticut

Hundreds of people flood public hearing on Connecticut vaccine bills

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12 hours ago

March 11, 2026

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Hundreds of people flood public hearing on Connecticut vaccine bills

Hundreds of people signed up to speak out about two controversial bills dealing with vaccines in Connecticut.

Opponents are concerned that the bills will lead to government overreach, while supporters say the bills simply ensure that people who want to get vaccinated still have access.

“I don’t want to be told what to do. It’s my body, my choice,” said Joe Murphy of Meriden.

From people gathered outside the state Legislative Office Building in Hartford to those inside, many voiced their opposition to proposals related to vaccines.

“We just want transparency in government. We want them to listen to what we’re here to say,” said Katerina Bouzakis of Wolcott.

Hundreds of people signed up to speak about the vaccine legislation. Democrats say the plans help make sure people can get the vaccines they want.

“It was very clear from the conversation that we’re having a lot of people who are here have misinformation about what the bill does,” said Sen. Saud Anwar (D–South Windsor).

Under these two bills, state recommendations for immunization would be based on a broader group of experts, not just a CDC advisory group that was overhauled by the Trump Administration and has recently been making changes to vaccines.

Lawmakers say the state proposals would help with insurance coverage, and any updates would still have to go through a regulatory process.

“Passing this law will allow us to maintain our current access and purchasing power,” said Dr. Manisha Juthani, Public Health Commissioner. “I want to be very clear that this bill in no way institutes any new vaccine mandates for children or adults.”

Opponents also worry about how the bills might impact a fight to restore religious exemptions for school vaccinations. And they also pushed back on the decision to cut off the hearing.

“Democracy does not end at 12:15 a.m. this morning. It continues on,” said Sen. Heather Somers (R – Groton). “I think that this is an absolute gross overreach of the majority party that doesn’t want your voices to be heard.”

Republicans say they will continue to listen to comments even after the official hearing ends.

Democrats argue that, compared to other places in the country, 14 hours is a long time for a public hearing on this issue, and that previously, when it came up here, about 40% of the speakers were from out of state.

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Connecticut

Study: Late-Night Gamers in Connecticut Are Dragging Down Productivity

Published

1 day ago

March 11, 2026

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Study: Late-Night Gamers in Connecticut Are Dragging Down Productivity

According to a study published by Win.gg, all those late-night gaming sessions aren’t just wrecking your sleep—they’re wrecking Connecticut’s bottom line. Yeah, apparently your midnight raid or Fortnite grind comes with a side of lost productivity, and it adds up fast.

Win.gg surveyed 2,000 working gamers across the U.S., then crunched the numbers with data from the U.S. Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The results? Roughly 47% of employed gamers in Connecticut admit they’re dragging the next day after a late-night session. On average, that translates to about 2.6 hours of work that… well, never really happens. If you put a dollar figure on it, that’s about $104 lost per worker in a single day. Multiply that by the state, and we’re looking at a staggering $74 million in lost productivity. Yup, you read that right—$74 million just because people stayed up too late chasing loot or finishing that last level.

Read More: Three Arrested for Burglary in New Fairfield

It’s not just your career that’s taking a hit, either. Gamers in the state report cutting their sleep by an average of 1.8 hours to fit in those extra hours of gaming. And we all know what happens when you skimp on sleep: coffee consumption goes up, focus goes down, and suddenly responding to emails feels like decoding hieroglyphics.

So, what does this mean for Connecticut? Employers are essentially paying for productivity that doesn’t happen, and the state as a whole is bleeding money. But let’s be real—nobody’s about to stop gaming. If anything, this is a reminder that maybe those late-night raids are best saved for the weekend, or at least capped so the Monday grind doesn’t feel like a marathon through molasses.

If you want to dive into all the numbers and methodology, Win.gg has the full breakdown here. But the takeaway is clear: your gaming habit might be costing more than you think—both in sleep and in dollars.

Exploring Beyond the Rusty Gates of Danbury’s Oldest Cemetery on Wooster Street

I live just down the block from the Wooster Street Cemetery and whenever I pass, I am always struck at how odd it is. You have this quiet, beautiful place that is dedicated to the people who were buried there, in the middle of a busy city and almost no one ever goes there. I decided to go take a deeper look around and see what was beyond the iron gates and stone walls.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

7 of the Most Beautiful Towns in the State of Connecticut

Connecticut is overflowing with both manmade and natural beauty. In some places, the two intersect to create a magical, almost fictional feel. Here are 7 Connecticut Towns that look like they came straight from a storybook.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

Top 10 Chain Restaurants with the Most Locations in Connecticut

The other day the boys and I were talking about KFC’s new “gravy flights,” and it got me wondering—do you know which fast-food chain has the most locations in Connecticut? None of us did, so I looked it up.

The top of the list is mostly what you’d expect, but there are a few surprises. Here’s a look at the Top 10 Chain Restaurants with the Most Locations in Connecticut according to Stacker

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

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