“I think graffiti makes Richmond look like a bad community,” Jillian Fetzer says while sitting on a bench in Campbell Square Park. She is reflecting the thoughts of many Port Richmond residents.
Graffiti has been afflicting cities for decades. It is not just an eyesore; it is vandalism. And for the president of Port Richmond’s Town Watch, Maryann Trombetta, it is a sign of more nefarious activity like drugs and can add to the decline in a neighborhood.
“Who would want to live next to that?” Trombetta says talking about graffiti. “It brings down the whole community.”
The Port Richmond Town Watch are the eyes and ears for the Police Department and the group goes on many walks around the neighborhood to spot any signs of trouble. On these walks Trombetta takes many pictures of graffiti around Port Richmond and submits them to the Anti-Graffiti Network.
The Anti-Graffiti Network is available to all Philadelphia residents. If a resident sees graffiti, he or she can report it to have the group come and remove it by calling 215-686-0000. The group also provides a paint voucher program that provides paint and supplies to anyone who wants to remove graffiti themselves.
Anyone caught doing graffiti in Philadelphia is issued a $300 fine. However, most of the time only the graffiti is seen and not the graffiti artist. While installing cameras to catch the people doing graffiti is one option, Trombetta offers another suggestion.
“Mayor Nutter wants to put a tax on soda,” Trombetta says. “There should also be a tax on spray paint.” Her idea is to provide a fund to help pay for graffiti removal.
Although she keeps submitting the pictures of the graffiti around Port Richmond to the Anti-Graffiti Network, the graffiti keeps on reappearing and she just wants it to stop.
“It makes it look like nobody cares about the neighborhood,” says Trombetta. “And I do care.”
Graffiti has been afflicting cities for decades. It is not just an eyesore; it is vandalism. And for the President of Post Richmond’s Town Watch, Maryann Trombetta, it is showing signs of more nefarious activity like gangs and drugs.
“I don’t even know what it says,” Trombetta says. “Some of those things are code names for drug activity.”
The Port Richmond Town Watch are the eyes and ears for the Police Department and go on many walks around the neighborhood to spot any signs of trouble. On these walks Trombetta has taken many pictures of graffiti around the Port Richmond and submits them to the Anti-Graffiti Network.
If a resident sees graffiti that they want removed they can report it by calling the Anti-Graffiti Network at (215) 686-0000. The group also provides a paint voucher program that provides paint and supplies to any person that wants to remove graffiti.
While there are programs to remove graffiti, the problem is that the properties are tagged again. Trombetta says that there should be a tax on spray paint to help pay for the costs of removing Graffiti.
when you have police personnel that tell media that even in light of recent homicide related racist grafitti that “Everything’s Fine”….it’s symptomatic of a larger issue. Someone once said: “A community’s not a community unless everyone’s involved.” I remember seeing stories like this by and about the same people fighting the problem as far back as my Logan News editor days in 2005-2008…it’s 2010 and SSDD (Same Stuff, Different Day) “Everyone” denotes police and anti grafitti staffers who are ‘invested’ in this community as well..and don’t just see it as one of many neighborhoods…here’s an even more timely quote: “Where there is no vision, the people perish” [Proverbs’The Bible].
It takes a village? THINK ABOUT IT.
i think grafitti is a work of art, i don’t agree where it can be located, and some of the comments, but obviously these kids are trying to say something!!! try reading some of the grafitii. these kids might drop out of school, but omg! look at their work of art!! some of these peices are showing there unique personal side. showing their deffencive side, their anger, or scarce. these kids have something to say, and this is there way to say it. i would love to be someone who talks to these kids. try writing back on the walls to them. ask them what do they want out of these gangs?
I just don’t understand how Smith can think grafitti is a “work of art”… The tags of: ‘PC->’ or ‘HAS’ or ‘B-man’ spray painted on businesses, mailboxes and peoples homes is not at all art. Even when these people have a place to tag – like back wall of the music rehersal space on Tioga street – they still continue to tag on property. We just need to be more dillegent about removal. As great as anti-grafitti network is it still takes 2 weeks before something is removed. If the tags are repainted the same day they are spotted… eventually (hopefully) they will give up.