Local cities deal with uptick in graffiti
EL CENTRO — A wall of the former Golden Corral restaurant on South Imperial Avenue is now tagged the word “PUKE” in black spray paint.
The building, which has been vacant since
July 2019, has a similar tag on a boarded up window on the building’s west side.
It’s a symptom of a continuing and growing problem in the community.
“Graffiti has serious economic consequences on our community,” El Centro Police Department Deputy Chief Robert Sawyer said Thursday. “Unfortunately, we have seen more of it in El Centro recently.”
Per city ordinance, property owners in El Centro have jurisdiction over removing graffiti on their own property. That means the property owner has the ultimate say whether the city or community members can paint over it.
“The police department takes these crimes seriously,” Sawyer said. “To effectively deal with graffiti, everyone needs to be involved. Law enforcement alone cannot do the job. Dealing with graffiti must be a team effort involving law enforcement, city government, business owners and community members.”
One battleground over graffiti in recent months has been the former Aaron’s building at 173 W. Main St., in Brawley.
After the rental store vacated the building in mid-2020, the site became a hot spot for graffiti.
That has changed.
The building has a new paint job, and is set to become the new home of the Brawley Department of Motor Vehicles. The move is expected to be completed sometime this summer.
One factor contributing to an uptick in graffiti throughout Brawley in 2020 was the city’s decision in August to suspend funding for a graffiti abatement position to help balance the fiscal budget, which was impacted by COVID-19.
As for this current fiscal year, the job has been re-funded as a part-time position, Brawley Police Department Cmdr. Brett Houser said Friday.
Brawley has had a graffiti abatement program in place since 2011. Through it, the city offers assistance with the removal of graffiti on private property.
The program also helps property owners get paint that matches their building, Houser said.
Brawley has an ordinance similar to that of El Centro, in that graffiti on private property is the responsibility of the property owner.
Sawyer urged citizens in El Centro to report new graffiti to ECPD when they notice it on their property.
Reports can be made online through the ECPD website, which, in turn, generates a crime report.
“These reports are utilized to assist us in identifying where to deploy our resources best,” Sawyer said.
In an online report, a citizen is asked to provide a description of what was written and a photograph of the markings.
“After reporting the graffiti, it needs to be removed immediately to prevent other graffiti from appearing in the area,” the deputy chief said.
ECPD also encourages parents to be aware and to discourage their kids from participating in graffiti.
“If parents find spray paint cans, etching tools or markers in their teen’s backpack or room, it could mean they are involved in vandalism,” Sawyer said. “Parents should also check their children’s notebooks and backpacks for signs of graffiti as these may be an early indicator. Know where your kids are and who they are with.”
One hotspot for graffiti within the past few months has been a blue fence at Central Union High School at the corner of Imperial and West Brighton avenues.
“I notice it, too,” Central Union High School District Superintendent Ward H. Andrus said Thursday of the fence.
At one point, the letters ESC — short for
East Side Centro — were sprayed painted along the fence.
Since then, those markings and others have been painted over.
Andrus said he has directed school staff to repaint and remove as needed.
“But they don’t need my permission,” he said. “They typically do this as needed. We don’t always check the corner every day, but we do regularly.”
For the district, the graffiti along the fence is “a big deal” and “needs to be addressed,” the superintendent stated.
“The best way to prevent graffiti is to clean it up immediately,” Andrus said. “When the community sees vandalism of our schools, we appreciate them informing us so we can quickly repair it. It takes all of us to support our students.”
The see-somethingsay-something approach toward graffiti has been effective in the Kennedy Gardens subdivision, located in the east side of Calexico.
Javier Gonzalez, Neighborhood Watch captain of Kennedy Gardens, reported Friday the neighborhood hasn’t seen a rise in graffiti recently.
“We believe it’s because the word is out: We at the KG neighborhood will cross it out or have the city clean it up within 72 hours,” he said. “The city has been great in removing graffiti as soon as we report it.”
The Calexico Police Department had a graffiti clean-up day scheduled for Nov. 21, but elected to postpone it due to COVID concerns.
On Nov. 18, while Police Chief Gonzalo Gerardo was briefing the Calexico City Council on how the clean-up day would be performed, Mayor Pro Tem Morris Reisin said, “Don’t forget the old Pizza Hut.”
“Yes,” Gerardo replied to Reisin. “That was one of the first ones that we looked at.”
Graffiti still covers the former Pizza Hut building, 525 Imperial Ave., as well as a building wall adjacent to it.