A recent story about a start-up called SeeClickFix.com got us thinking about how we could use a service like theirs as a catalyst to help highlight and address community issues.
The recent spate of graffiti sparked the idea of creating a map that could be used to report graffiti sightings. If we can get decent information here, perhaps city officials and property owners will be motivated to more quickly take steps to clean up these signs of vandalism.
You can see the map here. If you see graffiti, mark down the address and enter it on the map. If you have a photo, even better. You’ll also find information on the page for reporting graffiti to the city, which we encourage you to do as well to be proactive and ensure the city is aware of it.
You can comment on reports, or mark them as closed once the graffiti is removed.
If you’re so motivated, please check it out. While this isn’t the biggest issue facing our neighborhoods, do you think this approach is at least worth trying? Have any ideas for improving on it, or for other ways we might be able to use something like this? You can post comments below, or you can always send us e-mail at tips@phinneywood.com. Thanks for being a part of PhinneyWood!
24 responses so far ↓
1 Iron City Mike // Jan 6, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Great, a way for Graffiti “artists” to get even more publicity, and to encourage even more graffiti.
2 Matt // Jan 6, 2010 at 9:59 pm
Excellent point, Mike. Because ignoring it and hoping it goes away is a much better solution.
3 Iron City Mike // Jan 6, 2010 at 10:34 pm
Actually, compared to giving them recognition for their “work”, it is.
4 DFH // Jan 7, 2010 at 1:14 am
They make clear anti graffiti paint that can be used on murals to protect them. The coating is permanent and the graffiti can just be washed off.
I hope they consider this for our new mural, if they haven’t done it already.
5 dave // Jan 7, 2010 at 1:32 am
I am out and about walking around Phinneywood, Ballard, and Fremont A LOT and you know what? I never really notice it. Maybe it’s because I just don’t care about it (or appreciate it, depending on your point of view). Of course I’d feel differently if it were my business or home getting tagged, but to all of you who are sweating this, please rest assured that for many of us, it doesn’t even show up on our radar.
6 Judith Wood // Jan 7, 2010 at 7:28 am
My only comment about the map is that the “1 person wants this fixed” feature is a bit misleading. I assume that means 1 person has reported it. Why would I post an incident to the map more than once? It seems that this could erroneously lead someone to believe that these graffiti incidents are of limited interest, which may not be the case.
7 Dale // Jan 7, 2010 at 7:54 am
All good feedback. The “1 person wants this fixed” is the person reporting it. If you want it fixed too, you can click the link on the detail bubble to add your vote.
The intention here is not to recognize the taggers’ work, but to encourage that it gets cleaned up more quickly so others aren’t encouraged to tag too.
As for the mural, we’re told it has a clear coat on it that will make it easier to remove any unwanted additions.
8 Tiktok // Jan 7, 2010 at 7:59 am
“The intention here is not to recognize the taggers’ work, but to encourage that it gets cleaned up more quickly so others aren’t encouraged to tag too.”
The most attractive thing to a tagger is…clean space. The second most attractive thing is something already tagged.
9 Stupid Hippie // Jan 7, 2010 at 8:41 am
What these young men need are city-funded arts classes to help focus their talents!
10 Malcom X-Files // Jan 7, 2010 at 9:09 am
I am not sure exactly what can be done about the vandalism problem. It appears in many forms from scratched windows, stickers, marking pen doodles and the larger spray paint gibberish. If it is tolerated and goes unchecked, Greenwwod/Phinney will become something like the old Tubs business on 50th and Roosevelt in the University District. Do want to live in a trashy slum?
11 Malcom X-Files // Jan 7, 2010 at 9:09 am
Do YOU want to live in a trashy slum?
12 Daniel // Jan 7, 2010 at 9:15 am
The sooner the tag dissappears the less likley another is to appear.
I carry a can of black and a can of white on my bike. When I find tags, not graf-art tags, I will cover them, weather permitting.
13 Kat // Jan 7, 2010 at 9:34 am
So does this mean that the “#” of people who want it fixed are going to get together and fix it? If people want something done, they should do it themselves instead of complain that it never gets fixed…
14 Zoey // Jan 7, 2010 at 10:10 am
I think that this is a GREAT initiative. It has been proven that tagging begets more tagging. The sooner it is removed, the better. I think that the more people there are watching out for it, the better! Also, you can report tagging/graffiti to the city if it is on public property, they are actually very quick to remove it. http://www2.seattle.gov/util/forms/graffiti/graffitiForm.asp. They also discuss and have links detailing what people should do about graffiti and why: http://www.seattle.gov/police/prevention/Neighborhood/vandalism.htm
Remember, graffiti is a form of vandalism, and this low-level vandalism can quickly usher in more hostile and damaging forms of vandalism and crime into a neighborhood. The more diligent we are as a group and the quicker we are to respond, the less this kind of crime will occur in our neighborhood.
15 Mike // Jan 7, 2010 at 10:57 am
@Daniel. I agree. The sooner you get rid of it the better! When our back alley fence got tagged recently, the responding SPD officer told us the same thing. Apparently taggers “get off” on revisiting their work. Also I think keeping it up sends the message that the business/home owners don’t really care, possibly attracting more taggers.
16 Matt // Jan 7, 2010 at 12:51 pm
In other words, according to someone who actually has experience with this sort of thing, ignoring it and hoping it goes away is NOT a much better solution? Good to know.
17 Tiktok // Jan 7, 2010 at 2:34 pm
I don’t think tagging begets more tagging: areas attractive to one tagger are likely to be attractive to other taggers. A high-visibility area with a tag-friendly surface is a continual beacon to other taggers. Everyone in my neighborhood had their alleys tagged a few years ago–no other taggers appear to have shown up en masse to add their touch. Nice new tag-cover up paint says “LOOK AT ME!!! I’M SO CLEAN AND EMPTY!!! MAKE YOUR MARK!!!!” Over the last few years I’ve seen tags appear, be painted over and then retagged at high-visibility location countless times.
18 Phinneyman // Jan 7, 2010 at 4:11 pm
TikTok: I don’t think Zoey’s point is conflicts with your suggestion that some taggers are brazen. She said tagging begets tagging, which is really only a restatement of well-established and well-researched theories of policing and crime. See for example http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/02/08/breakthrough_on_broken_windows/.
Most experts agree the “broken window theory” explains how neighborhoods become vulnerable to crime over time. I’m growing worried that some in our neighborhood don’t appreciate the realities of ignoring tagging or similar, apparently harmless crimes, such as littering, or abandoning propery in public places such as sidewalks or street corners.
The “broken window” theory is compelling and well-tested. It posits that ignoring a neighborhood’s cleanliness breeds crime. Acting on apparently minor neighborhood problems– dealing with trash, abandoned vehicles and fixing windows– reduces crime. If neighbors lets trash and broken windows (and graffiti) remain, criminals use the opportunity to move in and exploit the neglect. It makes sense when you think about it: people who don’t care make the bad witnesses. Without witnesses to crime, there are no reports and few prosecutions. And rampant tagging shows people don’t care. So taggers continue to stake their claim.
Compare allyways to open areas. Where do you feel safer and where are you more likely to expect to see tagging in the neighborhood?
Believe what you will. But mapping taggers is one step closer to cataloging them. The moment a tagger is associated with a location, the closer we can get to identifying him/her. If the tagger is identified his/her mask comes off. And once the tagger’s true identify is known, there is plenty of evidence for probable cause to arrest the tagger. With evidence of the crime all over the neighborhood, the DA will more likely prosecute the tagger than if nobody cares.
Final thought: On trash cans in the ally, I remove tags using sandpaper to rub off the tag. I don’t paint over the tag because the paint may not stick (esp. in the rain) and turpentine doesn’t always work. I’ve done this several times and it appears to work well.
19 Ruby // Jan 8, 2010 at 2:08 pm
I recently attended a SPD crime prevention workshop led by one of their community service officers. The takeaway: reducing crime can be as simple as saying hello.
Here’s a link to a related website. Interesting stuff.
http://www.scsh.co.za/casestudy.html
20 Ghoul // Jan 9, 2010 at 1:41 am
actually… fast removal is the best way to, not prevent, but to discourage the tagger to move down the line.
I manage two buildings in belltown. if they get tagged, and you remove the next day, you will usually never see that tag again on your building. unless they are just in it for the pure grief they give.
tagging does indeed, in my experience, beget more tagging. if you dont believe me just go look in the alley north of the Fred Meyers garage…
but just keep up the QUICK removal. its the only thing you can do really…
21 SPG // Jan 9, 2010 at 9:24 am
I’ll chime in on the quick removal. If there are no tags the tagger may tag it anyway, but if there is one other tag, they’ll feel compelled to answer the first tag. Get rid of it and they’ll be less likely to come back, even on those big blank walls that are high visibility. Frustrating, annoying, and a lot of work, but eventually you’ll wear them out and not have to paint over it as often.
As far as removal of the occasional small tag, Goof-Off works pretty well on a lot of services.
22 Matt // Jan 9, 2010 at 12:11 pm
Interesting article. Especially this bit:
“The Lowell experiment offers guidance on what seems to work best. Cleaning up the physical environment was very effective; misdemeanor arrests less so, and boosting social services had no apparent impact.”
23 Whopper // Jan 9, 2010 at 7:03 pm
“misdemeanor arrests less so, and boosting social services had no apparent impact”
So arrest have less affect, social programs NO impact. Great news, we can stop wasting money on ‘youth programs’ (what they call ‘parenting’ in the old days).
24 JTC // Jan 10, 2010 at 10:04 pm
Has anyone heard of the “Broken Windows” theory on crime? Disorderly conditions breed bad behavior, and that fixing them can help prevent crime. Last year in Boston they found cleaning up the physical environment was very effective; misdemeanor arrests were less.
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