The Washington Times
  • Subscribe
  • Times News Services
  • RSS
  • Mobile Headlines
  • e-edition
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • REGISTER
  • LOG IN
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • WELCOME
  • Your Profile
  • Log Out
  • Front Page Image
  • Classifieds
  • Autos
  • Real Estate
  • Jobs
  • Special Sections
  • Customer Service
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Sports
    • NFL
    • NBA/WNBA
    • MLB
    • NHL
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Motorsports
    • Soccer
    • NCAA
    • Olympics
    • Outdoors
    • Other
  • Culture
    • Home & Living
    • Family & Kids
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Washington Visitors
    • Books
    • Military History
    • Life
    • Auto
    • TV Listings
    • Movie Listings
    • Death Notices
    • Entertainment
  • Themes
  • Communities
  • Marketplace
    • Autos
    • Jobs
    • Real Estate
    • Classifieds
    • Shopping
    • Dining Out
    • Education
    • TWT Store
  • Videos
    • Two Guys
    • Birnbaum on Washington
    • Liz Glover
    • Amanda Carpenter
    • Morning Briefing
    • Documentaries
    • Joe Giganti
    • Video Game Minute
  • Podcasts
    • About Headlines
    • Audio and Radio
    • America's Morning News
  • National

    Justices weigh juveniles' life without parole

  • National

    Leadership changes at The Times

  • National

    Hood suspect earlier came under FBI scrutiny

  • National

    PRUDEN: Fatal reluctance to see evil

  • World

    Envoy: Europe relies on U.S. shield

  • National

    'Anti-vaccine' attitude hampers H1N1 effort

  • Business

    Sinking dollar fuels new gold rush

Thursday, October 9, 2003

Graffiti crackdown urged to halt gang violence

Rate this story

Average 0.00
after 0 votes
Login or register to rate this story

  • Font Size -+
  • Print
  • Email
  • Comment
  • Tweet this!
  • Share
  • Article
  • Comments ()
  • Click-2-Listen
  • Videos

More Stories

  • Bill Clinton to press Senate on health care
  • Obama to send more troops to Afghanistan
  • Hood suspect earlier came under FBI scrutiny
  • Ida weakens to a tropical depression, heads east

By

A D.C. Council member says the city must get tougher on graffiti because it is fostering gang violence and ruining neighborhoods, especially in Northwest.

"We need a zero-tolerance policy," said Adrian M. Fenty, Ward 4 Democrat. "Until recently, there was no pressure or no plans. If you accept it as part of your culture or as part of your community, you will never get rid of it."

The scrawlings made up of words or symbols signify a gang presence and can cause hundreds of dollars in damage, city officials and community leaders said. Plans by Mr. Fenty and the mayor's Clean City Initiative office include organized cleanups and erasing graffiti within 48 hours after it is reported.

Police and neighborhood activists have a keen interest in the graffiti, also known as "tags," because they suspect the proliferation is connected to the increase in gang-related shootings, including those this summer in the Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights neighborhoods. Mr. Fenty also said he suspects that most of the city's graffiti is tied to gang activity.

"There does seem to be a proliferation of graffiti, and it seems to be competitive," said Jeffrey Bensing, a board member of Mount Pleasant Main Street, a nonprofit group trying to preserve the area. "It will appear overnight, then be crossed out a night later. It's kind of all up and down our commercial corridor."

City officials also said the amount of graffiti has increased recently, and that vandals have been targeting pay phones and mailboxes.

The U.S. Postal Service has repaired or replaced some of the boxes and plans to fix the others as soon as possible. Neighborhood groups want the companies that own the graffiti-riddled pay phones to clean or replace them.

Mr. Fenty has proposed a seven-point initiative for reducing graffiti, including mandatory cleanup duty for people convicted of vandalism, a 24-hour hot line for reporting incidents and the 48-hour response time.

"There's no policy on whether [the graffiti] will be removed in 24 hours or 24 days," Mr. Fenty said. "That's a problem."

12Next »

Post a comment

There are comments on this article, submit your opinion!

Commenting is disabled for this entry.
If you feel there is still something worth mentioning about this entry please contact the author or the site admin.

Ask a Question

You Report

Do you have another point of view, photos, audio, video or more information about a story?

Top Stories

Most Read

  1. KELLNER: New Apple mouse really is 'Magic'
  2. EXCLUSIVE: Rare virus poses new threat to troops
  3. Parents buying homes for kids at college
  4. EDITORIAL: Too scared to recognize terrorism
  5. Deer dies after leap into D.C. zoo lion exhibit
More Top Stories »
  1. Court refuses to halt sniper's execution
  2. Federal Reserve opposed as big bank savior by odd allies
  3. House OKs health reform bill
  4. Annandale man killed in hit-and-run
  5. Inside the Beltway

Most Shared

  1. KELLNER: New Apple mouse really is 'Magic'
  2. PRUDEN: Fatal reluctance to see evil
  3. Deer dies after leap into D.C. zoo lion exhibit
  4. EDITORIAL: Too scared to recognize terrorism
  5. Defense nominee won't reveal potential conflicts
More Top Stories »
  1. EXCLUSIVE: Rare virus poses new threat to troops
  2. 'Fuzzy math' could drive health bill cost higher
  3. Parents buying homes for kids at college
  4. Sinking dollar fuels new gold rush
  5. Families of sniper victims reach settlement

Most Commented

  1. EDITORIAL: Too scared to recognize terrorism
  2. House OKs health reform bill
  3. 'Fuzzy math' could drive health bill cost higher
  4. Army chief wary of backlash against Muslim soldiers
  5. Health bill faces roadblocks in Senate
More Top Stories »
  1. EDITORIAL: Mr. Obama, stay away from this wall
  2. Lieberman vows probe of Hood rampage
  3. Defense nominee won't reveal potential conflicts
  4. PRUDEN: Fatal reluctance to see evil
  5. Suspected Fort Hood shooter is awake, talking

Listen to Washington Times Radio

  • America's Morning News

    with John McCaslin and Melanie Morgan

Blogs & Columns

  • POTUS Notes

    New Dem talking point on Obama approval doesn't wash

  • The Back Story

    12 arrested at Pelosi's office

  • Belief Blog

    New Vatican constitution released

  • Out of Context

    Foods that might kill libido

  • Technology

    Facebook wins round against phishing spammer

  • On the Fly

    United lifts some 'award' blocking

  • Redskins 360

    No interest in Johnson

  • Tara's Two Cents

    On their way to summer vacation..

  • SNOBlog

    Beyond 'Woody'

Videos

Advertising Links
TWT Store
  • e-edition
  • Print Edition
  • Weekly Washington Times
TWT Affiliates
  • Middle East Times
  • Golf
  • UPI
  • Arbor Ballroom
  • Washington Times Global
  • About TWT
  • Press Room
  • F.A.Q.
  • Work for TWT
  • Advertise
  • Sponsors
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map

All site contents © Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC.