'Gray Ghost' feuds in N.O. with Nola Rising creator

New Orleans CityBusiness, Jan 21, 2008 by Richard A Webster

Radtke said he has no problem with that. But Dingler's signs are illegal, he said, just as it is illegal to staple bills, posters or signs of any kind to telephone poles.

And it doesn't matter if the signs happen to be hand-painted, "pretty pictures" of rainbows with inspirational slogans.

To Radtke it is all vandalism and he is going to "gray" it all out, whether anyone asks him to or not.

Violent past

As a result of the escalating tension, Radtke and Dingler said they fear for their safety.

Radtke said taggers he associates with Dingler have thrown acid at him, threatened him with knives and smashed his truck windows.

Dingler points to an online photograph of a bloodied young graffiti artist he claims Radtke attacked.

Radtke said the beating was self-defense and no charges were ever filed against him.

Diane Lundeen, owner of Petcetera on Magazine Street and a judge with the Louisiana Office of Worker's Compensation District 8, said the city should oversee volunteers such as Radtke to coordinate his efforts and ensure business owner property rights.

Until then, he continues to operate as a freelancer without direct oversight or accountability, she said.

Dingler is compiling a database of Radtke's handiwork that should dwarf the 1,100 counts he now faces. He will present his evidence to the police, just as Radtke did, and demand charges be filed.

"This all started with me trying to do something good for the city and now it has turned into a nightmare all because of a guy called the Gray Ghost," Dingler said. "It's insane."