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City hires teens, ex-offenders to remove graffiti
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WASHINGTON (Map, News) - The District of Columbia will enlist teens and ex-offenders in the battle against graffiti through a pilot program in Ward 1 this summer, D.C. Council Member Jim Graham announced Wednesday.
“We have been fighting graffiti,” Graham said, “much of it gang-related. We wondered, ‘How are we going to stop the graffiti?’ One idea: community murals,” Graham said.
Based on Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program, the anti-graffiti program in D.C. will work with the Metropolitan Police Department and business owners to identify areas obstructed by illegal graffiti and cover them with community-inspired murals.
Graham said the city has allotted funding for 27 full-time positions for ex-offenders, who will identify and remove graffiti.
The nonprofit organization Midnight Forum will work with PROUrban Youth to offer teens jobs designing and painting the murals.
“Graffiti isn’t accepted as an art form,” said Dominic Painter, executive director of Midnight Forum. “But it is art.”
Up to three murals in Ward 1 will pioneer the program, which Graham set aside $100,000 of the city’s budget to support.
If the murals in Ward 1 work, another 47 murals will be fashioned throughout D.C. beginning in the fall.
“There’s more to come. If we get this working, we’ll expand this,” Graham said.
“A lot of the time, graffiti people respect the murals,” Graham said, but as a precaution, he said he also secured $250,000 in the budget for anti-graffiti paint, which prevents adhesion of other paints.
“We’re trying something different and taking steps to prevent blight in this neighborhood,” Graham said.
Comments from Examiner Readers
11:50 PM MST on Thu., Jul. 31, 2008 re: "New law would force taggers to clean up after themselves"
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10:41 AM MST on Thu., Jul. 31, 2008
re: "New law would force taggers to clean up after themselves"
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9:54 AM MST on Thu., Jul. 31, 2008
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7:46 AM MST on Tue., Jul. 22, 2008
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11:30 PM MST on Sat., Mar. 8, 2008
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Carl said:
Another yes vote here! At least one landlord in our neighborhood may be able to save paint money. Oops my bad. she took her 3 apartment building off the market because of tagging and the city bureaucracy. making taggers clean up their mess should be a given the city should have done years ago. Making neighbors, homeowners and landlords investigators take the pictures is well...san francico. Tagging is not a priority in this city though it should be. the real question will be will the pilot program last. The city has a budget problem yet gets federal funding for programs like this one. Gotta ask yourself where does the money go?...Rhetorical-we know the answer. My educated guess is the program wont last long. Community courts are for what again? Are the CC Courts still funded..again rhetorical.
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Examiner Reader said:
"New law would force taggers to clean up after themselves" YES YES YES. But now Chris Putz has to catch the taggers. I have wanted to work with Chris in my neighborhood however the City makes it too tough on me. I have to take a picture of the tag (with a time stamp) and send it to Chris before I paint it out. Then I have to keep doing it until he is satisfied to attempt a stake out to catch the taggers. If the tagger's tag does not match the prior tags then it is less likely they will be able to make a case against the taggers. WHY ARE NORMAL CITIZENS SUPPOSE TO BE THE INVESTIGATORS, POLICE AND ABATEMENT OFFICERS IN THIS PROCESS!!! THAT IS CRAZY OFFICER PUTZ!!
5 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
this is the smartest legislation I have heard as of recently. it should go further by making the taggers wear orange vest with the writing on their backs, "Look, I'm stupid."
2 agree | 1 disagree
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Hakeim Goines said:
May I fill out an application
1 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Keep up the great work! I am your biggest east coast fan.
4 agree | 8 disagree
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