Graffiti Is Bad

Imagine you were at a public park with your child and there was graffiti on the slides. What kind of impression does that make? Is there frequent crime in the area? Is it safe? Would you let your child play in that park? There's a good chance that you would not. While some would argue that grafiti is street art, grafiti is in fact a crime and could result in prosecution. It is a serious offense because it is destructive, dangerous and costly. Graffiti is associated with gang communication and crime, it is a burden to tax payers and lowers property values and weakens local economies.

Graffiti is usually associated with gangs. In The Denver Post article, New Study on Graffiti, Crime Correlation, graffiti is a way for gangs to communicate. Messages are hidden in plain sight. Pictures have hidden meanings and can help promote gang related activity and crime without broadcasting the message to the entire community. When gangs create graffiti, it could indicate that they are planning a serious crime and they need a way to connect with other gang members. Additionally, when you see or touch graffiti that a gang member created, you can be in serious trouble. If a gang sees you trying to erase one of their pieces of graffiti your life could be in danger.

People were too afraid to ride on subway cars if they had graffiti all over them. Today, some people are even moving away if there is graffiti in their neighborhood. In the book, “Gang Injunctions and Abatement: Using Civil Remedies to Curb Gang-Related Crimes” the author writes, “The negative impact of graffiti on a community is significant, as graffiti vandalism instills feelings of fear and insecurity.” Graffiti impacts the identity of the community. It affects the way people see their