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There is a new graffiti office for the Mpls. Police.
I believe the man in charge is Sgt.. Duncan and I
believe the number is 673-2090. (CCP/SAFE, please
correct me if I am wrong on either the name or phone
number)
A new task force is being formed in Whittier to
brainstorm solutions or at least deterrents to
graffiti. The task force will be comprised of
business owners, concerned citizens,the police, and
other interested parties to look for ways to impact
this growing problem and to test out some of the
recommendations.
In the meantime, the Whittier Business Association has
started a reward fund for the arrest and conviction of
the person(s) responsible for the "more" tag and the
"lightbulb" tag. Those taggers have caused
considerable property damage in the Whittier
neighborhood. I believe the fund is currently at
$1,000.
One of the newer graffiti technics is to put acid in
the paint. The tagger sprays it on windows like
restaurants on Nicollet or bus shelters and it etches
the glass so the window has to be replaced. That's
expensive.
I am not sure what the answers are here. We certainly
need to take a look at what other cities are doing and
like other issues, there may not be one clear cut
approach. One thing is for sure. Tagging is a culture.
That makes this problem even tougher to deal with. The
police tell us that many of the taggers that are
hitting Whittier live in Whittier. However, there are
also taggers that come in from the suburbs and as far
away as Rochester.
The one thing I have learned is that you have to
remove it right away. If you leave it, it will grow.
When I worked actively on this issue in 93 and 94, we
set a goal to remove any graffiti we could within 24
hours. The tagger culture wants people to see their
work. If you take it down right away, the tagger will
find another spot where it won't be removed.
The city has a program available where you can coat
your building surface with some agent that makes the
graffiti easier to remove. CCP/SAFE should have more
detailed information about the program.
For the record, I believe graffiti is art when it on a
surface with the permission of the owner. When it is
placed on a surface without the owners permission, it
is property damage.
Anyway, have a nice Mother's Day everyone, especially
all you Moms.
Barb Lickness
Whittier
Ward 6
City Council Candidate
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