I want people to take pride in Spanish Harlem. These are people that everyone in the community could relate to... people who mean something special to us.

I allowed myself to become familiar with it and the development was phenomenal. "
In July 2003 De La Vega was charged with vandalism for a mural he painted on a blank wall in the Bronx. Christie's auction house has sold his art for thousands of dollars and many[who?] see him as an inspired cultural figure.

James De La Vega (born approximately January 15 1968)[when?] is an American visual artist of Puerto Rican descent who lives in New York City.