Graffiti on glass wall exasperates community
Graffiti is a lot like a cockroach: no matter what you do, it defies all attempts to get rid of it.
The scrawl of graffiti artists is so ubiquitous that many people barely notice it. But others see it as a pervasive blight and an early warning sign of disorder and urban decay.
Among them is Dennis Long, executive director of Breakaway Addiction Services, a drug recovery clinic on tiny Strickland Ave., near the large railway overpass at Queen and Dufferin Sts.
The building that houses the clinic is bright and spotless inside and out, a priority for Long. So, when he looks out on the graffiti splashed across a big glass wall next to the facility, it bugs him.
The glass wall was built in the past year and is meant to insulate the surrounding neighbourhood from the sound of trains in the railway corridor that slices through the area, which is operated by Metrolinx.
“Relationships with our neighbours in this residential area are of great concern to us,” he said in an email. “Sometime this spring, a great deal of graffiti appeared on the glass section of the wall behind our parking lot. In June I called Metrolinx. After ensuring the markings were not offensive (i.e. racist etc.), they said they will remove it but it would take some time. It is now November, and despite a few email reminders nothing has been done.” Status: Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins said the clear glass wall has become a magnet for taggers. She said the graffiti has been removed at least once since the wall was erected, but within days it was tagged again. With hundreds of kilometres of walls that separate rail lines from houses in the GTA, it’s hard to keep up with the graffiti, she noted. But the wall is scheduled for a cleanup this week, Aikins added. What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. To contact us, go to thestar.com/yourtoronto/the_fixer or email jlakey@thestar.ca.