Last fall, New Carlisle’s gorgeous bike trail was deluged with graffiti, which Main & Lake had decoded by a professional symbologist from the University of Cincinnati. Either the culprits are back at it, or we have a new group responsible for desecrating New Carlisle’s streets and landmarks.

With the New Carlisle graffiti bandits striking again, we once again reached out to a professor of symbology to provide some information as to the meaning of these paintings.

Editor’s note: The following article and photographs therein contain profanity that may not be suitable for children or sensitive adults.

Dr. Jonathan Steinerman was, once again, gracious enough to analyze photos of the latest graffiti to hit New Carlisle.

Last time, Steinerman detailed possible occult markings and the likely possibility that the bike trail graffiti vandals have ties to the Illuminati, a powerful group interested in ruling the entire world via a single government.

Are the new markings the work of the same individuals responsible for the bike trail paintings? What do these strange shapes mean? Should citizens of New Carlisle be worried? We asked these questions and more to Dr. Steinerman.

Editor’s note: The conversation with Professor Steinerman has been edited for clarity.

“The first picture is notable because of how bold the graffiti is. The person who did this has a message and they want it known by everyone. The painting itself appears to be an alien being, similar to E.T. from the movies, but with a single eye.”

We then asked Dr. Steinerman if the real estate sign has any significance to this message, or if it was just a convenient canvas.

“I think there are two possibilities. First, it could just be a matter of convenience. Maybe the vandal lives nearby. Maybe they liked the mostly white background so that the black paint would stick out. But given that the painting was specifically an alien, that makes me think this was well-planned. Perhaps the artist is saying that aliens are going to claim real estate in New Carlisle. Knowing a little about the demographics of New Carlisle from the last time we spoke, it could also be a play on the term “illegal aliens.” From everything I’ve heard about New Carlisle I find it hard to believe it’s racist in nature, but it does make some sense.”

“At first glance, this would seem to be unrelated,” said Dr. Steinerman. “The paint color is different, and the drawings really look nothing alike. But that’s because you’re probably trying to see an alien in this picture. In actuality, it’s a rocket ship. And if aliens were to come to Earth, how would they get here? That’s right, in a space ship. This is crudely drawn, but it’s clearly a primitive spacecraft depicted on this sidewalk.”

Does this provide any clarity in regards to the question of aliens or illegal aliens from the first photo?

“To me, this rules out the possibility that this was some sort of sophisticated commentary against the number of illegal immigrants who have planted roots in New Carlisle. It seems we are dealing more with your garden variety believers in extra terrestrials here,” concluded Dr. Steinerman.

“This one is a bit tougher to decipher,” said Dr. Steinerman. “This is obviously done by the same artist as the second photo. And I think the theme remains the same, although this rocket ship is even less realistic looking. It appears to have two enormous thrusters and only a tiny fuselage shaft and cockpit. The addition of text is worth noting, although it’s impossible to make out what it says. This further enforces my theory that we’re dealing with a UFO and alien obsessed person.”

The final picture we sent Dr. Steinerman was of a building on the grounds of Smith Park.

“It’s interesting that you sent this photo last, because this one seems to tie it all together. Once again we have the presence of space ships. Along the top, we see: a music note, a peace sign, and an anarchy sign tied together by what appear to be radio waves. This suggests that the artist thinks they are in communication with alien life forms. Also, this leads me to believe the person wants to alert the aliens that we are peaceful, but that government is worthless and aliens should move in and institute total anarchy in New Carlisle, if not the entire world.”

What does “TWACK” mean?

“I’m very glad you came to me with this, because I’ve actually seen that same phrase at least two other times. It stands for “Terrestrials Welcome Alien Civilization and Knowledge.”

The Verdict:

“Add up everything: paintings of extra terrestrial beings, space ships, and a welcome message directed at aliens, and it’s clear you have a citizen who believes in life beyond planet Earth. They clearly want aliens to assume control of New Carlisle, and they are doing their best to beckon to them.

It’s extremely unlikely that the person who defaced your bike trail is responsible for these new markings. Whether you should be worried or not largely depends on the beliefs of your residents. If you believe in alien life forms and/or you think that government should be entirely abolished, you should probably join whoever did this and start painting more welcome messages about town. If you don’t believe in aliens and you think anarchy is bad and dangerous, then you should worry very much. Because, in my expert opinion, an alien invasion in New Carlisle is imminent.”

What do you think about Dr. Steinerman’s conclusions? Is New Carlisle in danger of being taken over by aliens? Sound off in the comments to let your voice be heard.