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Re: Moderators- please close this thread.

 

Officials declare war on graffiti

Monday, July 26, 2004

By BILL ZAJAC

wzajac@repub.com

 

 

SPRINGFIELD - Characterizing it as a war to take back neighborhoods, the city is trying to enlist regiments of volunteers to battle the growing problem of gang-generated graffiti.

 

 

Try Our Classifieds

 

 

 

 

The city is offering training and the materials to neighborhood civic associations, church associations and other groups interested in supplying the elbow grease to remove gang "tagging."

 

 

The city's Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services launched the "graffiti remediation" program Wednesday by holding an informational meeting at the McKnight Neighborhood Council.

 

 

Another informational meeting will be held at 6 p.m. July 29 at the Raymond Sullivan Safety Complex on Carew Street.

 

 

Mary B. Troy of the Hungry Hill Neighborhood Association likes the idea of the city using volunteers to cleanse their neighborhoods.

 

 

"Graffiti devastates a neighborhood wherever it is. And there isn't a neighborhood in the city that this isn't a problem," said Troy.

 

 

Troy was one of about eight people from various organizations who attended the meeting.

 

 

"I'm definitely going to see if we can put together a team. I can only ask," Troy said.

 

 

The city has established a hotline for people to report graffiti sites and to enlist a team of volunteers. The number is (413) 787-6145.

 

 

"We want to send a message to gangs that these are our neighborhoods, and that their tagging will not be tolerated," said Michael J. Cass, manager of the program.

 

 

Cass said the city's graffiti problem isn't simply teenage prankishness.

 

 

"It's a crime," Cass said.

 

 

Kathleen N. Brown, community police liaison and a graffiti program leader, said most of the city's graffiti is created by people in the 18-25 age bracket.

 

 

"These are gang members who are marking off their territories much like dogs mark territories," Brown said.

 

 

Sites often need to be cleaned several times before gangs get the message that their crimes will not be tolerated, Brown said.

 

 

Benjamin Swan Jr., president of the McKnight Neighborhood Council, said he has seen the effectiveness of fighting graffiti.

 

 

"Our neighborhood council has dealt with this. We believe graffiti has not been a big problem in McKnight because we have addressed it. It does work," Swan said.

 

 

Brown and Cass demonstrated and discussed removal methods and products when dealing with various surfaces.

 

 

"In the best of all possible worlds, property owners would clean graffiti on their properties immediately after it appears. That doesn't happen, so this program is designed to step in and help," said Jennifer L. Kearney of the city's Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services.

 

 

they are all gang members. affiliated with other gang memebers, affiliated to oraganized crime and police!

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