Our national price tag for graffiti vandalism is on the rise.
According to Drew Lindner, "graffiti crimes of vandalism are estimated to have a national price tag of $20 billion annually." Drew serves as Chairman at Stop Urban Blight. As the cost of graffiti crimes continues to rise, our approach to solving the problem has not evolved. We are focused on removal and enforcement, yet preventative education receives little attention. Good design is often ignored. Learn the six steps to eliminating graffiti from my book. Get the book at Amazon.com.
Technology helps, yet graffiti continues to spread.
Cities are investing in technology to assist in the ongoing war against graffiti vandalism. The Mayor of Albany, New York announced a new "Graffiti Busters" smart phone application in March. The application is designed to enable citizens to report graffiti vandalism to the city by photograph and or description. Residents don't even have to provide an address of the vandalized location as the application utilizes phone location technology. While new technology may help better engage the community in addressing graffiti crime, it does little to prevent graffiti. We will stop graffiti only when we invest in preventative education.
Is graffiti the problem, or is graffiti the symptom of a lager issue?
The City of San Francisco hosted the first international graffiti conference sponsored by ZERO GRAFFITI INTERNATIONAL. San Francisco spends more than $20 million a year combating graffiti vandalism. City crews have become so efficient at removing graffiti from buildings that vandals are now marking tree trunks with spray paint in their quest for greater longevity and visibility of tags. Graffiti is quickly removed from most building surfaces, yet graffiti painted on tree bark requires more time and effort to remove. This situation strengthens my belief that graffiti removal and enforcement efforts alone are insufficient in meeting the challenges of graffiti crime. Preventative education is required. Get my book at Amazon.com.
Gang graffiti is only a part of the problem.
Gang graffiti is relatively uncommon in most communities. The fear of potential retribution from gang members often makes citizens reluctant to remove graffiti. The "187" shown in this photograph is classic gang communication. "187" references the California penal code for homicide. DEFACING AMERICA helps us understand who really does the vast majority of graffiti worldwide. It isn't gang members. Yet graffiti writers are criminals who often escalate their acts to more serious crimes. Get the book at Amazon.com.
Political graffiti is relatively uncommon.
We see news reports of political graffiti in countries suffering from great unrest. A modest volume of political graffiti appears in the United States. The stenciled "POT" shown in this photograph is in support of the legalization of marijuana. DEFACING AMERICA documents the need for prompt removal of graffiti vandalism, effective and meaningful enforcement against vandals, and an increased emphasis on preventative education. Understand and prevent graffiti vandalism. Order the book now.
Graffiti writers share their perspective.
A graffiti writer contacted me on facebook about graffiti to say, " the majority of it is illegal and that's how the artists gain their talent... practice." Another graffiti fan wrote that graffiti "pails in significance next to poverty, tax evasion and the lies of the governments and big businesses which is ultimately the reason people do graffiti..." Graffiti writers have developed an interesting psychology. In their minds, graffiti is OK. Buy the book at Amazon.com.
Do cash rewards deter graffiti vandalism?
Cash rewards have the potential to elevate public awareness about graffiti vandalism. Yet cash reward programs can stimulate graffiti activity when the reward program highlights a particular moniker and vandal.
The City of Fountain Valley, California has instituted a reward program to support their efforts to curb crimes of graffiti vandalism. You can earn a $500 reward from the City of Fountain for providing information that leads to the arrest and conviction of any person who has defaced public or private property. That includes graffiti and etching.
The City of Fountain Valley has thereby very inexpensively elevated public awareness about the problem of graffiti vandalism. They have successfully messaged to the community the need to report graffiti vandalism, how to report graffiti especially if you can see someone writing it, and that the community is very serious about enforcement. The cash reward program generated local traffic to their web site as well as interest from news media and graffiti experts.
The City of Fountain Valley did not feature a particular tag in their reward program. Doing so would provide the fame, visibility and excitement that individual graffiti vandals crave. Buy DEFACING AMERICA - The Rise of Graffiti Vandalism today from Amazon.com.
The City of Fountain Valley, California has instituted a reward program to support their efforts to curb crimes of graffiti vandalism. You can earn a $500 reward from the City of Fountain for providing information that leads to the arrest and conviction of any person who has defaced public or private property. That includes graffiti and etching.
The City of Fountain Valley has thereby very inexpensively elevated public awareness about the problem of graffiti vandalism. They have successfully messaged to the community the need to report graffiti vandalism, how to report graffiti especially if you can see someone writing it, and that the community is very serious about enforcement. The cash reward program generated local traffic to their web site as well as interest from news media and graffiti experts.
The City of Fountain Valley did not feature a particular tag in their reward program. Doing so would provide the fame, visibility and excitement that individual graffiti vandals crave. Buy DEFACING AMERICA - The Rise of Graffiti Vandalism today from Amazon.com.
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Understand, prevent and stop graffiti vandalism in your community. After leading community partnerships dedicated to eliminating graffiti for fifteen years, graffiti expert Julius Zsako has developed a set of best practices that all Americans can utilize to rid their neighborhoods of the devastating impact of graffiti vandalism. Learn from the successful examples provided by communities across America and Europe and avoid the mistakes of others. Stop graffiti. Copyright 2013 - Julius Zsako