Bill Morem: We can all help in war on ‘graffidiots’

By Bill Morem

Ihate to sound like the grumpy old man who rags about idiotic behavior, but rag I must about …graffiti.

Just so you know without a doubt where I stand, graffiti isn’t art, not when someone has tagged someone else’s property. It’s vandalism and it’s a crime. If a tagger causes more than $400 in damage, it’s also a felony.

Santa Maria and South County gangs, like dogs hiking legs on hydrants as a form of territorial marking, seem to be increasing their tags in Nipomo, according to Rob Bryn, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Department.

Paso Robles spent $30,000 in graffiti repairs in 2006; it jumped to $200,000 in 2007. I don’t know how many potholes could be filled for that amount, but it represents, at a minimum, several new police officers or paramedics.

And it’s not exclusive to North and South County communities. Until 2006, San Luis Obispo police dealt with an average of 150 graffiti-related calls per year. That number jumped to 266 cases in 2007.

Lt. Bill Proll, the San Luis Obispo officer who’s added graffiti control to his already full plate, says graffiti is coming up from more obscure areas such as creeks and overpasses to the downtown.

“(Graffiti) used to go in cycles,” he says. “We could count on an increase during the summer when it stays light longer. I’ve worked here for 20 years, and it’s as bad as I’ve ever seen it.”

In fact, a new phenomenon in graffiti has literally risen in SLO; it’s called “roofing.”

Evidence left on the scenes indicates students get up on the roofs of commercial buildings at night to party and tag.

Increasing graffiti is enough of a concern that San Luis Obispo is firing back with multiple barrels. It is:

• making sure city-owned property — from restrooms to trash cans—are cleaned immediately;

• working with utilities such as Charter Communications and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to ensure those companies respond quickly to reports of tagging on their property;

• reminding downtown businesses that if their building has been hit, the renters or owners have 72 hours to clean it up or face a citation;

• reminding stores that sell spray paint to minors that it’s a crime to do so; and

• hammering out a comprehensive anti-graffiti policy that will make reporting of the crime easier, to accomplish a speedier cleanup. This is about a month away from completion, Proll said.

Besides catching graffidiots in the act, the best way to keep a lid on tagging is taking it down as quickly as possible.

“If it’s up on Friday and down by Monday,” Proll said, “it really takes the wind out of their sails.”

Think graffiti is someone else’s problem? Think again. Graffiti sends all sorts of messages, and none of them good. It’s a waste of tax dollars; tells residents and visitors alike that we have no pride in our community’s appearance; encourages gang behavior; and, ultimately, lowers property values. Artists? Nope. Jerks.

If you see a graffidiot at work or notice graffiti as you go about your lives, report it by calling the countywide anti-graffiti number: 783-STOP.