General Manager 307 East Braker Lane Austin, Texas 78753-2746 Mobile:512-845-7531 Fax: 512-490-6647 Phone: 512-490-6637 E-mail: tile@airmail.net

Dealing with Graffiti

Dear Neighbors,

We've all seen it. We've all been irritated by it. We've even cleaned it up... but what exactly is graffiti? It comes from the Greek word graphein, which means "to write". It's vandalism. It's done without permission and it's against the law.

There are three different types of graffiti. Hip hop (or tagger), generic, and gang graffiti. Hip hop graffiti is usually the vandal's moniker applied quickly and repetitively. Generic graffiti includes random markings, initials or profanity. Gang graffiti is used to mark gang territory, offer drugs or send warnings to rivals. Nationally, over 80% of graffiti is Hip hop graffiti. Most of us become annoyed when we see a fence or house that has been spray-painted with graffiti. However, graffiti causes a lot more harm than mild or even severe irritation. When it's not cleaned up, it sends a message that nobody cares. It can attract other forms of crime to the neighborhood. It can decrease a resident's feeling of safety. And it decreases a neighborhood's property value.

The best way to combat the growing graffiti problem in our neighborhood is to remove it within 24 hours. Have you noticed that the same spots seem to get hit over and over again? That's because the graffiti is not immediately removed. As the next vandal comes by, he writes his moniker on the same spot. Before you know it, a little conversation has begun as they each say that they were there.

The first step of the clean-up effort is to identify every piece of graffiti in Hyde Park. Along the seven blocks of the west side of Duval Street alone, there are 28 separate graffiti locations. The problem becomes even worse down our alleys. The second step of this clean-up effort will be to remove all of the graffiti in the neighborhood.

I have agreed to serve as the chairman of the Graffiti Committee. I am looking for volunteers to be on the Graffiti Committee, identify current graffiti markings and to clean up our neighborhood. If you are available to help with any of these duties, please contact me at 323-9772 or via e-mail at emeenie@austin.rr.com. I look forward to working with all of you and to taking our neighborhood back from these vandals. Come join the Graffiti Patrol!

Some information compiled with the assistance of www.graffitihurts.org.