Graffiti in Port Angeles
Finally it gets acknowledged in the PDN. Peak’s Pub sure seems to be a favorite target for graffiti “artists.”
This article quotes the police department and the Downtown Association as saying the best way to deal with graffiti is to paint over it quickly. “It discourages taggers from continuing. They don't tag along on it. Someone puts it up and somebody else wants to have their two bits worth. Clearing it up tends to discourage an expansion of the graffiti.”
And yet earlier in the article they said Peak’s Pub was tagged right after the owners had painted over the old graffiti. Wanda Smith — she and her husband Ed are the owners — said: “We got hit a couple of weekends ago, so Sunday we repainted the whole side of the building and by Monday, they’d hit us again. Before the paint dried, they did it again.”
The article also didn’t mention that if your building gets tagged, YOU are in violation of the law until you’ve painted over the graffiti. That’s sort of like prosecuting a mugging victim for vagrancy.
It’s hard to know how much impact there is from graffiti and similar crimes. There are obviously a lot more serious crimes than that. But according to the Fixing Broken Windows theory, these crimes do have a large impact. “Minor” crimes like graffiti, a broken window, garbage on the streets, etc. are causing a blighted appearance which will set the stage for more serious crimes.
This problem needs to be dealt with.
This article quotes the police department and the Downtown Association as saying the best way to deal with graffiti is to paint over it quickly. “It discourages taggers from continuing. They don't tag along on it. Someone puts it up and somebody else wants to have their two bits worth. Clearing it up tends to discourage an expansion of the graffiti.”
And yet earlier in the article they said Peak’s Pub was tagged right after the owners had painted over the old graffiti. Wanda Smith — she and her husband Ed are the owners — said: “We got hit a couple of weekends ago, so Sunday we repainted the whole side of the building and by Monday, they’d hit us again. Before the paint dried, they did it again.”
The article also didn’t mention that if your building gets tagged, YOU are in violation of the law until you’ve painted over the graffiti. That’s sort of like prosecuting a mugging victim for vagrancy.
It’s hard to know how much impact there is from graffiti and similar crimes. There are obviously a lot more serious crimes than that. But according to the Fixing Broken Windows theory, these crimes do have a large impact. “Minor” crimes like graffiti, a broken window, garbage on the streets, etc. are causing a blighted appearance which will set the stage for more serious crimes.
This problem needs to be dealt with.
Labels: Ed Smith Wanda Smith Peak’s Pub, Fixing Broken Windows, Port Angeles Downtown Association, Port Angeles graffiti, Port Angeles Police Department
posted by Tom Harper at 1:57 PM
19 Comments:
It sure does need to be dealt with. Downtown is in pretty bad shape right now, as has been thoroughly discussed in the PDN -- graffiti and other "blights" are the last thing we need.
We got graffiti'd and the Police Dept. didn't seem too interested. After all, it's WE who are in violation and we have to clean it up -- AGAIN.
I don't know if there are any solutions to this. Kids might need more things to do. As a kid I never did any graffiti, so I guess I don't understand what the thrill is. It sure does hurt the people who own the property which gets defaced.
I wish there was more of a Police presence downtown, for lots of reasons. You take your life in your hands trying to use the crosswalks, and I'm pretty sure not stopping for people already in the crosswalk is some kind of moving violation, isn't it?
We need to make downtown more attractive to people, not LESS.
They must have more than one dumpster to have those kind of problems.
The police department is either grossly understaffed or they just sit around doing nothing. How difficult is it to show a police presence and start cracking down on crime?
I thought the PADA was trying to promote Port Angeles as "The Graffiti Capitol of the North West"?
in some eyes graffiti is art..
the PDN and the police, as others, need to get their terms straight.
This isn't graffiti (which is much more intricate and involved, and colorful) this is TAGGING. The building have been tagged.
Tagging is akin to a dog peeing to establish territory. If the cops/town were smart...they'd put up a plywood wall somewhere and invite graffiti and taggers, ..that way they could figure out who is doing the building tagging. It's like handwriting, and you can identify it, once you see enough.
Down town has no moral turpitude!
When the cops came out to my home after some items were taken from my back yard I mentioned that I ran through the neighborhood that morning and noticed a lot of tagging had occured over night.They just looked at me like I was from Mars. Cops: tagging? Me: yeah, tagging. Cops whats tagging?
Jeesh we have a pretty serious problem, it is ALL OVER town. I like the suggestion of having a public place for demonstration, styles would become recognisable and it would lose some of its appeal.
And they have that downtown resources officer on duty during the DAYTIME. Is that when crimes are committed? And then he's off duty by the time the vandals and other criminals come out to play. Real smart.
I think I'll sit in the parking lot with my seatbelt fastened, and then as soon as I get on the freeway I'm gonna unfasten it.
Dude, you said "turpitude"!
Why don't we have a designated wall dedicated to Graffiti Artists to give them a place to do their graffiti art and express themselves. It would help the town have a form of art on display that would change regularly.
Tagging is just destructive and a violation of property rights, no question there. I wonder what would happen though, if property owners who had bland ugly decaying walls invited people to submit images to be painted on their walls (be it with brush or aerosol). Some scenes or abstract application of paint could brighten up downtown and give people something to look at. We have brushed pieces of metal bolted to the ground downtown..so why not some color? And really, we could do a lot better than that pirate wench on the tattoo shop by the federal building.
Art Supplies Unlimited just got shoplifted a spray paint can and a cap. He was talking about the water tower as a graffiti spot and starting a petition for a graffiti wall. He was hispanic, and a confident talker.
He stole from me instead of Wal Mart!!
Well that sucks. I hope you've called the police about this. Maybe this is the perp, or one of them. He needs to be caught in any case. Good luck.
OK here is the deal...
Yes "Tagging is annoying but honestly can you say that the small percentage of "Writing we have is any worse then the other things that make Port Angeles ugly..
For example, "the dream center", "the other side", all of the "Kids in there trucks parked in the parking lots drinking getting ready for parties,
the whole first corner of Front and Lincoln, I could go on forever about ugly things in this town..
But at least over 80% of the tagging in Port Angele's is in allies.
I am with your many mentions of putting up a "Graffiti wall" it would be very good for writers to have a legal place to do what they do. It could even be like what Olympia used to do and have specific spots in the down town ally ways for graffiti, and or have there art submitted 2-3 times a month..
But what am i doing, everyone would rather put the blame of artist doing "Vandalism" on the kids and punish everyone...
Good job , maybe you should have a curfew punishable by death...
Thanks
"And really, we could do a lot better than that pirate wench on the tattoo shop by the federal building."
^^^^
That guy is a horrible artist anyway, I recently saw his work online and he should be shut down!
I am particularly disgusted by the pathetic bigot haven that you call the city of Port Angeles. You should fix the sexist and racist behavior of yourselves and your neighbors. Of course you right leaning closed minded Hicks will probably delete this comment. So yeah its the graffiti that makes your town to disgusting, not your wallmart loving bigot citizens.
The reason you have such primitive street art is due to the illegality of graffiti. If You created an environment that fostered art and creativity you would see wonderful works of art instead of sloppy territorial tagging.
so i am not afraid to say this, i am one of the people who lives in P.A, and i have seen some beautiful pieces of graffiti in this town, their is actually a great peace by hbtk, that is sadly weather worn, but it is down town and its is amazing... i am tired of you bigoted thinkers thinking that is just vandalism... i do understand that what the are doing is wrong, but you don't give us an outlet we will make our own. it is just a way we express are self's... oh by the way i all am a graffiti artist. even though i don't tag walls. i can't understand why this town can give us a place to do what we love.
Post a Comment
<< Home