Councilman Claude Mattox’s
Neighborhood News Council Corner Column
Phoenix supports graffiti prevention
When you are driving past a neighborhood and you see graffiti, it portrays a sign of neglect. Staying on top of graffiti removal in your neighborhood is an affirmation that graffiti is unwelcome and will not be permitted. The overall appearance of your community will increase and the number of graffiti incidents should decline as a result. Get your neighbors involved in the upkeep of your neighborhood and make it a collaborative effort to stand up against tagging.
You aren’t alone in this battle against graffiti. Your City Council feels strongly about prevention and supports programs that clean up the mess caused by graffiti. The council approved money this year to support programs such as Graffiti Busters, whose goal includes removing graffiti within 48 hours of receiving a report. Recent legislation also reflects a zero tolerance approach - Gov. Janet Napolitano just signed into law a mandate requiring a mandatory minimum fine of $350 to $1,000, with an 80% surcharge for court costs, for convicted juvenile offenders. Both of these efforts show how strongly your city and state leadership feels about the blight caused by graffiti.
None of the efforts of the city and our Neighborhood Services Department have taken will amount to anything if residents are not involved with deterring taggers. Keep your community clean and work with the city to make graffiti obsolete. Please help us help you in keeping your neighborhood safe, clean and graffiti free. Future initiatives for graffiti prevention are in the works, but the important thing is for you, the residents of Phoenix, to keep a watchful eye and to be proactive in covering up graffiti immediately.
If you have questions or comments about this or any other topic or issue, call Councilman Mattox’s office at 602-262-7446 or send an e-mail to council.district.5@phoenix.gov.
