Montreal, Canada: After waiting over two years, the anti-Semitic swastika has finally been removed from a Ile-Perrot community mailbox. The swastika graffiti was originally reported to the Canada Post. The Canada Post directed residents to the city. The city directed residents back to Canada Post. Finally, after two years of finger pointing, a graffiti abatement company was contacted who was able to remove the offensive graffiti in approximately 2 minutes.
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In Port Angeles, Washington, Richard Schneider, after retiring from the National Park Service, decided to take matters into his own hands. He has removed over 70 graffiti tags over the past few months. He is highly motivated to improve this city and community by eliminating graffiti blight. He attempts to remove graffiti tags as quickly as possible to discourage them from reoccurring. By removing the tags quickly, the hope is that the taggers move on to areas less visible to the community or stop all together.
Graffiti Taggers Beware. The Fredericksburg Police Department is fed up with the significant increase in graffiti tagging in the community and has issues a $500 Reward for tips that lead to the arrest of a graffiti tagger. In 2014, there were 16 graffiti tags reported. In 2015, there have already been 55 reported cases of graffiti.
The reward give the taggers pause before they go out tagging in the future, but the recent arrest of a local graffiti tagger will have much more impact to deter them from creating more graffiti. This multi-pronged response to eliminate and reduce graffiti is a best practice and should lead to a reduction in the frequency of graffiti tagging. In Tinley Park, IL, a graffiti spree included the spray painting of several swastikas and "White Power" on homes, fences and cars. Additionally, a black X was spray painted onto an American flag.
In Pascagoula, MS, a Mississippi state flag was burned next to the spray painted words "Blacks Rule" on the driveway of an 85 year old Korean War disabled veteran. In Eden, NC, a business owner found a noose tied to his fence and the words :We are here! KKK" spray painted onto an RV. In Vass, NC, an investigation is underway to identify the source of the highly charged racist graffiti words "F*** N****** KKK" that appeared on three concrete bridges over Highway 1. There is a lot of talk of having an open dialog about race, but this is not what was envisioned. Chris Campagna is a Chicago resident of Historic Pullman neighborhood. He is also and artist, a father, a advocate for his community, and very creative. When his garage door was spray painted with graffiti, he decided to turn it into a giant chalkboard for his kids and other kids in the neighborhood to draw on any time.
A traditional rivalry between two high schools in Ogden, Utah in the lead up to the big football game resulted in graffiti vandalism. Defacing a rival school building is one thing, but the swastikas are another.
Did this push the rivalry and pranks too far? Did both school administrations issue statements condemning the graffiti attack? Did the second school make an offer to help cover some of the costs of graffiti removal? Nope. The second school district suggested that people should not blame their students, because the graffiti attack was possibly done by "some provokers". At least we know that the school is doing a good job teaching their students their values... An elementary school in Albuquerque, New Mexico was the target of a graffiti attack over night. The extensive black spray paint graffiti covered multiple walls and is expected to cost the School District thousands of dollars to clean up.
With school budgets stretched thin, the dollars spent to remove graffiti are reallocated from another priorities. Perhaps a vacant building or some other blighted structure is fair game for graffiti, but tagging on schools, or for that matter, churches, parks, and community centers is vandalism. No matter how good the "street art" is, the costs for removal is real and drain funds away from much needed improvements and maintenance. In South Haven Michigan, local authorities and the FBI are investigating multiple swastikas that were spray painted at a Jewish Summer Camp on a variety of surfaces including a car, a sign, a building and picnic table.
Can it be just a coincidence of the choice of a swastika and its location on Jewish Camp? What is the limit of free speech and where do we as a society draw the line. Is this an artist expression or a targeted hate crime? At least there were no physical attacks or injuries, but is their a relationship? Gang violence and gang graffiti go hand in hand. And the swastika symbol is one that clearly communicates hate, intolerance and violence. Gary Youth Leadership Council and Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson are taking steps to organize motivated volunteers to remove graffiti in Gary, Indiana. The group of student volunteers, primarily between 12 and 18 year old, has quadrupled in size since it was first formed. This is a highly motivated group hoping to make a positive impact on their community
"We are improving Gary little by little," said Samantha Brooks, aged 14. "And I think we can really make a comeback." More at nwitimes.com Pawtucket, Rhode Island - After a rash of recent graffiti tagging that has blighted buildings in the industrial districts and other neighborhoods, the City's Department of Public Works devised a multi-pronged strategy to identify, track and map graffiti incidents.
According to detective Edward Berube, "if it’s not removed quickly, it sends a message that it can fester … . The objective is identifying new graffiti, quickly removing it and using the documentation” More at ProvidenceJournal.Com |
AuthorFrom Clean City Innovation Graffiti Watch Archives
August 2015
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