Graffiti Hurts eNews: December 2009

TAGS Anti-Graffiti Symposium Wrap-Up (cont.)

The conference sessions were based on three streams: law enforcement, municipal anti-graffiti initiatives and community crime prevention programming. The law enforcement presenters shared information regarding integrated graffiti identification and analysis, new graffiti data base tracking systems, and video interviewing techniques for investigating graffiti.

There were also presentations from members of municipal governments and community-based graffiti programs who shared successful prevention strategies currently being utilized in their communities. TAGS 2009 Web site – www.togetheragainstgraffiti.ca – will be posting resource materials from most of these presentations in January 2010. It is our hope to share what we and delegates of TAGS 2009 learned from this fantastic networking opportunity.

Also, please visit www.togetheragainstgraffiti.ca in the new year for links to the TAGS 2010 symposium in Calgary, Alberta.

Graffiti Removal Key Focus of 2009 Great American Cleanup (cont.)

Great American Cleanup volunteers spent hours covering up graffiti in Asheville, N.C. with the help of Asheville Greenworks. Individuals of all ages came out to eradicate graffiti at nine major sites as well as many smaller sites throughout the community. As a side benefit, volunteers became much more aware of the impact of graffiti vandalism. As one volunteer noted, “I’d never even noticed it [graffiti] before! I think I’ll see graffiti differently now.”

In total, Asheville Greenworks covered up 50 sites. Keep Western New York Beautiful carried out a successful graffiti abatement program during the Great American Cleanup and keeps it up throughout the year. In 2009, the organization removed graffiti from 44 sites.

As Keep Western New York Beautiful Executive Director Jim Pavel said about mobilizing volunteers, “It’s about getting people to come back year after year.” Indeed, the many community members who participated in the Great American Cleanup graffiti removal activities have been doing it for years.

>Read more about the Great American Cleanup, including how to get involved.

Bakersfield Anti-Graffiti Task Force "Adopt-a-Mailbox" Program Wins Award

The program evolved about 2-1/2 years ago with a growing request from several of 700 neighborhood residents to remove graffiti from their multi-resident community mail boxes. Unfortunately, because the mail boxes are property of the federal government, the city was able to remove graffiti everywhere, except the mailboxes. And eventually they became “saturated with graffiti” says Martinez because the taggers knew we weren’t able to clean them. "There was really a need,” says Martinez. “Families out of frustration were getting their own paint and trying to cover over the graffiti themselves, creating a larger problem.”

After facing a number of barriers, Martinez eventually went to the local office of U.S. Congressman Jim Costa who helped bring all the program partners together. The result was the development of an “Adopt-a-Mailbox program. The Post Office provided an approved “Post Office Gray” paint color and a local Dunn Edwards Paint store supplied the paint kits. Some of the newer mailboxes can be cleaned up with simple "handy wipe" chemical cloth removers. Tests showed that power washing the boxes resulted in damaged mail. The first year, 32 community type mailbox locations were adopted. The program has now expanded beyond the initial neighborhood and has gone city-wide, with a county-wide program in the works.

"We’ve seen requests for mailbox cleanup go from 10-12 calls a week, to two or less,” says Martinez.

Paint kits are given to the residents at no cost with the commitment that they will remove graffiti from them as it appears. As more residents are requesting paint kits, they are looking for additional funding and partners. The program is a partnership between the local U.S. Postal Service, Kern County Youth Probation Department, Dunn Edwards Paint and the Bakersfield Police Department Crime Prevention Unit.

>More

Terre Haute Partners Come Together to "Wipe Out Graffiti"

Terre Haute The city also announced that Terre Haute business owners and residents could now report graffiti and request removal online or through a request form at the Police Department. “No matter where you look, the problem is pretty evident,” says Terre Haute Police Sergeant David Smith. “Fast removal is the most effective way to combat this type of vandalism,” he added. Terre Haute Mayor Bennett is hopeful that the City can get to a point where they are able to respond within 24 hours to new graffiti. Bennett says, “This initial surge was a community event. We were fortunate to have three great organizations partnering with the City, but we always need the volunteers to make it a true success.”

>More 

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