Everyone knows the graffiti problem exists.  Graffiti is seen on the walls of stores, schools, parks, and public signs.  Some people believe graffiti is a form of Art, an expression of the mind.  And although at times, the pictures can be considered to be done by a talented person, it violates the communities who are forced to endure it.  It is a blight to our community.

When a tree or plant is infected with blight, it withers away and dies.  Just like the effects of a fungus or a disease of a plant, communities become sick and infected by the blight of graffiti vandals.

Graffiti vandals steal the public places and don’t care that it offends people, costs businesses money, or brings down the homeowners property value.  According to the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Office of Community Beautification spent more than seven million dollars a year on removing graffiti.  Seven Million can be used to help a lot of people.  Some would say, “leave the graffiti, it does not hurt anyone.” But the graffiti problem brings more crime.  This is one of the reasons graffiti brings down the property values, more crime. People don’t feel safe in an area with graffiti, because they know there is more crime.  Graffiti suggests less police activity or permissive police patrol.  Removing the Graffiti is important, but graffiti prevention would be better. Stopping the graffiti problem before it happens would be ideal.