How’s the city doing with graffiti response?

Geeky Swedes Ballard

Tagging on private and public property has been an ongoing discussion on MyBallard. Now, the City of Seattle wants to know how they’re doing in response to graffiti.

Photo of graffiti at Sunset Hill Park in Jan. 2009.
City Councilmembers Tim Burgess and Tom Rasmussen have asked the Office of City Auditor to review and evaluate the current response to graffiti and then make recommendations to the Mayor and the City Council. The ten-question survey asks if graffiti (both public and private) is an issue for you, how often your property has been marked with graffiti and what improvements can be made in the city’s graffiti response.

Here is the link to the questionnaire. It must be filled out by Monday, May 10th.

Geeky Swedes

The founders of My Ballard

10 thoughts to “How’s the city doing with graffiti response?”

  2. Tagging makes me really cranky. What a waste of time and energy – how can we bring back respect for the property of others? Let’s not argue that the skate park is an open canvas – tagging on the bowl is not the same as public art.

  3. Well I called the “Report Graffiti” number (206-684-7587 about 3 weeks ago to report race-hate type graffiti on the Burke Gilman Trail between 61st and 63rd (roughly in line with Ray’s Boathouse but on the trail) as of yesterday it was still there.
    I thought that “race-hate” type graffiti was a priority so I guess they are swampped.
    I am tempted to start cleaning this up myself.

  4. Maybe they should check with places that have dealt more effectively with grafitti, such as (gasp with horror now) California. But I suspect the city deep down regards grafitti as a colorful expression of a vibrant urban society.

  5. I think all underage taggers are the responsibility of their parents. Their parents should be billed if their kids are caught and should pay a fine.

    They can choose:

    1 Pay the fine of $5,000.
    2 Spend a month in jail.
    3 Work on a 8 weekends cleaning up grafitti, 8 hours a day.

    Anyone having to do this will make sure their kid doesn’t do this again! This is just a start….

  6. BallardBiker, I’m surprised that they didn’t get right on it. Every time I’ve reported graffiti it has been cleaned up within a couple days, and the one time it was racist it was cleaned up the next morning.
    Sometimes they’ll hassle you about taking a report if you don’t have the exact address, but insist that they take the report and flag it as racist.

  7. SPG, I think the problem appears to be the location, the lady on the phone told me that the BGT is the resposibility of the Parks Department, however she shaid she would pass it on. It was still there this morning when I passed it. I am looking at painting over this stuff myself.

  9. Ballardbiker, The Birke Gilman trail isn’t covered by the Graffiti Rangers. I would contact the Parks Department and stress how long its been there and that it is obscene. Good luck!!

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