Graffiti Hurts^® eNews
August 2010

HEADLINE NEWS

First Graffiti Hurts^® Webinar Draws a Crowd

Over 75 individuals attended the Graffiti Hurts^® webinar, “Graffiti Removal Best Practices,” held in June. Presenters Jim Lowery, Field Operations Manager, City of Riverside, Calif., and Angela Brenny, City of Minneapolis Clean City Program, Minneapolis, Minn., shared a wealth of experience, knowledge and best practices on graffiti eradication. And there was a highly-informed exchange of ideas and knowledge during a lively Q&A following the presentations.  

Graffiti Hurts^® Program Manager Conni Kunzler also gave an update on the Graffiti Hurts^® program and resources. If you are interested in checking out slides from the event, Keep America Beautiful affiliates can download slides or video presentations from the KAB Forums. For non-KAB affiliates interested in receiving slides, contact KAB's Larry Kaufman.

Georgia's Gwinnett County Releases 2010 Graffiti Survey Findings

Since 2003, Gwinnett County has conducted an Annual Graffiti Survey during a two-week period every February. This “snapshot” in time covers more than 1,000 miles of roadways. Each year’s data is compiled and the results are compared to the 2003 baseline. Data is also compared to prior year’s results to determine trends and identify potential problems.

In 2010, the overall trend shows the number of graffiti sites is increasing (see graphic). “More than one of every two sites is visible by citizens traveling from their homes throughout the community,” says Connie Wiggins, Executive Director, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, whose organization conducts the survey.

In 2010, graffiti was observed on 436 sites totaling nearly 20,000 square feet of tagged surface area. Unlike most communities, 96 percent of sites contained gang-related graffiti. While 48 percent of sites were on common property (such as street signs, utility boxes, etc.), 68 percent were on business property. In all, 80 percent were on occupied buildings and related structures.

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COMMUNITY FOCUS

City of Portland, Rodda Paint, and Alpha Broadcasting “Paint the Town Clean”

On Saturday, July 24, over 70 volunteers gathered at the Rodda Paint Store in Portland’s Central Eastside for the first-ever “Paint the Town Clean” event.  On-air personalities from Alpha Broadcasting's five radio stations led volunteer teams to the paint out locations. Rodda provided paint matched to each of the properties targeted for clean up, as well as buckets, rollers, brushes and rags. And the City of Portland’s Graffiti Abatement Program provided each team with buckets containing “wipe-off” products, Soyclean solvent, donated by the company, scrapers, rags and plastic bags to clean graffiti off "right-of-way" properties.

In all, 32 sites were cleaned in five business districts.  Prior to the event, buildings were identified in four areas of the city that were substantially hit with graffiti vandalism, and permissions were obtained from property owners to allow graffiti removal.  “While this is a time-consuming and labor intensive activity,” says Marcia Dennis, Graffiti Abatement Coordinator, City of Portland, “it resulted in 100 percent participation by the identified sites.”

“Paint the Town Clean” was the culmination of several months’ work by a committee of about eight. The event was advertised locally, and promoted on social network Facebook. And ultimately, volunteers were rewarded with smiles, “thank you’s” from community members, and free pizza and beverages.  “This event was a huge success, and we plan to partner with Rodda and Alpha Broadcasting again next year,” says Dennis.

Milwaukee Anti-Graffiti Program Holds Youth Radio PSA Contest

The Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services Anti-Graffiti Program launched an anti-graffiti public radio message contest to deter youth involvement in graffiti vandalism as part of its 2009 Graffiti Hurts^® grant. Youth ages 13 to 18 were encouraged to write a 30-second anti-graffiti PSA and submit it to the City.  A panel selected three winning entries, and winners were brought to the radio station to voice their ads, which were used on-air throughout a six-month campaign.  Listen to one of the winning PSAs.

“Using the right message, in the right way and through the right media was a proactive way to educate young people on the negative consequences of graffiti,” says Sharon Blando, DNS Anti-Graffiti Coordinator, who spearheaded the initiative. “These announcements reminded youth that graffiti vandalism is a poor decision and harmful to the community.” Keep American Beautiful grant funds were used to pay for initial radio airtime, which was supplemented by City funds.

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Fort Collins, Colo. Painting Out Graffiti One Utility Box at a Time

Since 2006, City of Fort Collins-funded Art in Public Places has partnered with Fort Collins Utilities to put a stop to graffiti on electrical transformer boxes. They work with local artists who compete for the opportunity to paint a mural. After the murals are completed the city applies an anti-graffiti coating so that if they do get hit by graffiti, it can be removed quickly and easily.  During the past five years, the collaborative project has yielded 60 painted boxes and hopes to add another 30 this summer. 

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GRAFFITI PREVENTION LAWS

Los Angeles City Prosecutors Seek Injunction Against Tagging Crew

Los Angeles city prosecutors are seeking a civil court injunction against the Metro Transit Assassins (MTA) tagging crew. The injunction, which names 10 individuals, would be the first to specifically target a group of graffiti vandals, according to the city attorney's office.

If granted, the court order would bar members from associating with each other, institute a mandatory 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew and prevent members from possessing "graffiti tools or weapons."  The civil suit is scheduled to be heard Aug. 31. It seeks $250,000 in civil penalties and $3.7 million in damages for what the city attorney's office described as 500 documented incidents of graffiti vandalism associated with MTA. 

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Louisiana Governor Signs Bill Targeting Graffiti on Historic Landmarks

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has signed House Bill 1264, introduced by Rep. Juan LaFonta, D-New Orleans, making it a crime to "deface with graffiti" any historic building or landmark.  The bill prohibits graffiti on structures declared national, state, or local landmarks or those that are "historically significant."  It also bans graffiti on any structure located in an art district, cultural products district, or downtown development district. Violators convicted of the new crime can be fined as much as $1,000 and jailed for up to two years. The new law, which goes into effect Aug. 15, also requires offenders to perform community service.  The bill does not allow the fine or the community service work to be suspended but does allow the jail time to be waived.

Technology and Information Swaps Create “Revolution” in Nabbing Taggers

According to a recent article in the North County Times, California investigators and prosecutors are using web-based technology and monthly “graffiti intelligence” sessions, where they swap techniques and suspect information, to be able to arrest and prosecute repeat taggers.  Using web-based tools, such as Graffiti Tracker, which allows graffiti to be documented and catalogued, police can search the database or use it to generate lists and maps.  

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YOUTH IN THE NEWS

Las Cruces Youth Sign Anti-Graffiti Pledge For Graffiti Awareness Month

About 100 teen volunteers helped remove graffiti, pick up trash, and paint murals on a long wall at San Jose Cemetery that was covered with graffiti in the Mesquite Historic District of Las Cruces, N.M.  The event was the focus of a July Neighborhood Pride Day sponsored by Keep Las Cruces (N.M.) Beautiful. Under the supervision of Tomasita Rodriguez, a community educator and artist who works for the Juvenile Citation Program, the volunteers took pencil-sketched drawings of several murals and transferred them onto about 25 yards of a cemetery wall. The mural is in response to growing concerns from neighbors about the increasing and discouraging graffiti.

Windsor Sixth Graders Combat Graffiti and Earn a Bike

For the fifth year, the Windsor, Canada, Police have sponsored an “Earn a Bike” program, which puts kids to work around the city cleaning up graffiti vandalism.  For their beautification efforts, they take home a mountain bike, helmet, and lock provided by Tim Hortons.  In the past, most of the sites cleaned by the Earn a Bike kids have remained graffiti-free. Youth are chosen to participate through the sixth-grade Values, Influences and Peer program, in which police help teach students about “making good decisions through their values." 

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Youth Turns Jail Sentence Into Community Improvement Venture

While in juvenile detention for two years for graffiti vandalism, 20-year-old Ratha Sok hatched a plan to channel his artistic talent in a positive direction and make amends for his past. The result is 2Kool, a public art and clothing design company, which also helps communities plan murals that engage urban youth. Ratha Sok and Bimmer Torres founded 2Kool in 2007 with the help of Greater Good Academy in Denver, Colo., which assists low-income entrepreneurs turn ideas into reality, with an emphasis on responsibility.  Sok and his fellow artists have had their work featured in the New York Times, and recently installed two murals at Denver International Airport, which will be on display until September 2010. 

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