Graffiti
Graffiti is the act of defacing property that does not belong to you. It can be a wall, building, bridge, billboard, train car, or vehicle. Graffiti differs from vandalism. Both are the destruction of others property, but graffiti generally includes painting or defacing the object with words, pictures, or symbols. Often, graffiti includes gang signs and writings. The term graffiti comes from the Latin word, graphium, which means to write.
Graffiti can be found in every city in every state. It has become a past time of youth and a rite of passage in some gangs. Graffiti can cause fear that a neighborhood is unsafe or a high crime area. In addition to being against the law, graffiti is an eyesore in any community. It can also lower property values in any such area.
I have seen some beautiful art on the side of train cars as they pass and on the bridges here. However, graffiti is not art; it is simply a form of vandalism. In some areas, having graffiti on your property is against the law. In San Diego, property owners are responsible for cleaning up such graffiti that happens to their property.
Graffiti is very costly to communities. Nationwide, approximately twelve million is spent in the United States each year to clean it up. Ironically, only about one million is spent to educate against it. Some reasons young adults and children participate in graffiti include gang association, peer pressure, lack of artistic alternatives, lack of recreational activities, and lack of parental supervision.
It is everyone’s responsibility to eliminate graffiti from our communities. If you see it in progress or suspect someone has done it, contact your local police department. It is not recommended that you try to stop them, as they could be dangerous. You can even report the incident anonymously. Many communities offer cash rewards for the arrest and conviction of those doing graffiti.
