just buffing, aka, graffiti abatement

(file image of city buff job from summer '06)



In the current issue of the Minneapolis 'hood rag, Southwest Journal, you can read this article:

Police and city team up for graffiti sweep

Looks like The Man is spreadin' the word about graffiti abatement...so I'd like to spread the word about street art love!

The article suggests that "between April and December of last year, more than 9,600 tags were reported." Now that it's mid-April 2007 and warm, my heart is warmed by the article's mention that "the city estimates that roughly 400 taggers are out painting the city on a given night." Soon the streets will be in bloom!

And completely covered! Since Minneapolis covers 59 square miles, therefore, on average-- there are 6.7 taggers per square mile...(does the city's estimate seem right on to ya'll?)

Sadly, and typically, this "informative" article does not differentiate between graffiti, tags, street art, or gang graffiti. However, the article was explicit in detailing the challenges of prosecution: "Sgt. Giovanni Veliz, a graffiti investigator in the 5th Precinct, said prosecuting taggers is difficult because it requires an eyewitness and testimony. The two-to-three week court process is also discouraging, he said."

My favorite bit is this message from Don Davis, considered notorious as a graff-nabber, who "said graffiti should be erased, but cleaning won't solve the problem because taggers do not paint over one another's marks. He said wiping a wall clean creates a fresh canvas for whoever gets to it first."

Abate away!!

-tinyshoes