The Battle Against Graffiti
Click for Details of $1000 Reward for Information
Leading to Conviction of Taggers
The area around Hollyvista, DeLoz and Prospect Walk was hit after 9:30pm on November 28, 2007.
A resident reported that, "An eyewitness spotted a tagger this morning 11/29/2007 attempting to retrieve a bag of paint cans from a bush nearby the scene of last night's tag in an apparent effort to contribute to the mess.The tagger fled down Prospect Walk when spotted by early morning joggers."
ECHO PARK TAGGING GANG
Graffiti like this was spotted in early November 2007 along Prospect and on Myra.
It is believed to have been painted by the Echo Park Tagging Gang. LAPD Senior Lead Officer Al Polehonki warns: "Please avoid confrontation with these individuals if seen. Rather, call it in.
If anyone spots additional graffiti of the same type look for gang names like
puppet, smiley for example. Also look for what's called a cross out, anything
that looks like the above but has something x`ed over. Any photos of this will
be helpful in predicting what this gang is up to and may lead to their
identification. Use caution with tagger or gang members as many times they carry
some type of weapon or have a second person watching their back.The photo above was supplied by one of our graffiti fighters who also suggests that when you paint out graffiti it helps to use paint that matches the background...don't cover gray with black etc.
FRANKLIN HILLS DECLARED A GRAFFITI FREE ZONE
The Franklin Hills is now officially in a "Graffiti Free Zone"
according to Councilmember Tom LaBonge. It seems the increase in area
graffiti in 2007 is another example of the law of unintended
consequences. When John Marshall High upgraded its video surveillance
there was a tremendous drop in graffiti…on campus. Alas, the graffiti
was "pushed into the surrounding neighborhoods" according to Marshall's
new Principal, Daniel Harrison.
The Graffiti Free Zone is
designed to bring more graffiti abatement resources to our area. The
Hollywood Beautification Team will be working to remove what's here and
making more frequent inspections to remove what's new. They have
special tools such as water and sand blasting, and more colors of
matching paint, than the LAPD's Northeast Division which will be
increasing its patrols, especially in pre and after school hours at
locations where tagging teens have been tarnishing our turf.
There are two things that you can do to help the effort. If you see graffiti, e-mail a photo of it to LaBonge's Transportation Deputy, Sharon.Shapiro@lacity.org this will help ID the taggers. Marshall High has a database which often can match to tags to the taggers. You can also contact Shapiro if you want to be a graffiti block captain and get paint and other tools to hit the delete key on tagging in your area.
There are two things that you can do to help the effort. If you see graffiti, e-mail a photo of it to LaBonge's Transportation Deputy, Sharon.Shapiro@lacity.org this will help ID the taggers. Marshall High has a database which often can match to tags to the taggers. You can also contact Shapiro if you want to be a graffiti block captain and get paint and other tools to hit the delete key on tagging in your area.
Graffiti like this was spotted in early November 2007 along Prospect and on Myra.
It is believed to have been painted by the Echo Park Tagging Gang. A nearby resident reports being warned by officials at Marshall High School not to confront them if seen doing graffiti as: "They have heard that the gang will shoot people who see them doing graffiti."
The same graffiti fighter also suggests that when you paint out graffiti it helps to use paint that matches the background...don't cover gray with black etc.
Teen Tagging Tragedy
We've all seen too much graffiti, and most of the time it's just
annoying, but sometimes it's amazing and one wonders how it got painted
high on a freeway sign or bridge. LAPD Senior Lead Officer, Gina
Chovan, reports the how, and the horror one tagger suffered on the
afternoon of February 6, 2007.
About 4pm LAPD got calls reporting a teenage girl apparently about to commit suicide by jumping off the bridge where Fletcher Dr. and the 2 Freeway cross the LA River. When officers arrived they found a badly injured 16 year old who had landed on the rocks missing the water's edge by about ten feet.
Her legs were shattered, with protruding bones described as looking like the jagged shards of "cracked chicken bones." Her hands, also torn to pieces, but covered with paint, told not the story of a suicide, but a graffitist who lost her grip as she tried to hang onto the bridge with one hand while painting with the other.
Nearby police found two "homeboys," their faces described as "ash white," who apparently had witnessed the fall. Hopefully they will carry the message, not in paint, but of pain to others inclined to tag their way to tragedy.
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Citizen Call Catches Halloween Tagger
Halloween evening, about 9:30 PM, an alert community member observed a tagger
spray painting on numerous garages in the alley that parallels St. George St.
just off Rowena. A radio call was generated and the tagger was followed as he
continued to tag along Rowena heading toward Ivanhoe Elementary School.
Officers responded and captured the 15 year old male subject whose hands were
covered with paint. The officers photographed 16 locations that had been
tagged. He admitted to each one.
He was cited and will soon be working off his community service hours with Officer Colenzo painting out graffiti. This subject appears to have been working the Marshall High School area for quite some time. He is now retired. Our continued thanks to community members that share in our frustration with this type of criminal activity and go the extra step by making that call.
Just thought Id let everyone know about this one,
SLO Al Polehonki
He was cited and will soon be working off his community service hours with Officer Colenzo painting out graffiti. This subject appears to have been working the Marshall High School area for quite some time. He is now retired. Our continued thanks to community members that share in our frustration with this type of criminal activity and go the extra step by making that call.
Just thought Id let everyone know about this one,
SLO Al Polehonki
MORE TAGGERS TO WATCH FOR:
In the last week of October 2005 residents in the Franklin Hills reported
twice spotting a group of up to four 16-20 year old male Latino
taggers. On the second spotting they gave LAPD a car description: "an old, black VW beetle, license number 2VAZ115." LAPD had received other reports of a similar vehicle spotted near tagging activity, now they have the license.
