Has our Graffiti Problem Reached Epidemic Proportions?

Ed. Note: I’m hoping we can discuss this problem without highlighting names because I don’t want to encourage these people. (I’m using one photo above to illustrate but have deleted the many other examples.) I’m not talking about artists, muralists, or even taggers in alleys. I’m also not talking about gang graffiti where people tag to mark their territory. I’m talking about people who tag right out in the open on houses, retaining walls, bridges, storefronts etc. Since I can’t articulate it better – what I’m talking about is BORF like graffiti.

So this weekend I did a ton of walking – 33 total miles. I say this not to show off, ok maybe a little, but really to say I covered a lot of ground this weekend. Unfortunately, in all the time I’ve been running this blog I’ve rarely been more saddened by what I saw this weekend. The graffiti seemed to be everywhere. Normally I see some graffiti but never to this extent. The cumulative effect was truly depressing.

Have you guys noticed an uptick in graffiti around town? If so – what neighborhoods have you seen it in? Do you have any suggestions about how you think this problem can be mitigated? What do you think is the motivation of these types of taggers?

It now seems even more painful to learn about the elimination of some “Green Teams”.

I know that preventing violent crimes are a much more serious concern for law enforcement. But to me the extent of this behavior has gotten so bad that, while not equal in its severity, it is still seriously degrading our neighborhoods.