Marietta to fine property owners for letting graffiti linger

Associated Press ^ | Sep. 26, 2005

[deaconjim]

MARIETTA, Ga. - Marietta is getting tough on graffiti by fining property owners $1,000 or even imposing jail time if they let the vandalism linger.

The new city ordinance was adopted last week. City officials say the new measure gives the city the teeth to take a bite out of graffiti.

A violation of the city code could bring a fine or up to six months in jail.

"We've got this ongoing problem in Marietta with graffiti," said Mayor Bill Dunaway. "It's not just teenage vandalism. Some of it's gang related ... It's a proven fact the longer (graffiti) stays up, the more you will keep having it."

Marietta property owners now have 30 days to cover up or remove graffiti after they receive a notice from police or city inspectors.

Police in the city noticed a rash of graffiti over several months last year.

Police spokesman Officer Brian Marshall says graffiti is a problem that can bring other criminal activities.

"If you don nothing about the graffiti, then that shows the neighborhood is willing to tolerate certain activities," Marshall said.

The city previously had an anti-graffiti ordinance that gave the city the power to go onto private property to remove graffiti and then charge the property owner for it.

But that ordinance ran afoul of state law. The new ordinance only allows the city to issue a citation, which makes places the matter under the municipal court system, said city attorney Doug Haynie.

Gwinnett County commissioners also voted last week to force property owners to clean up graffiti within 72 hours or face a fine of at least $100.

[deaconjim]

Nothing like punishing the victim, is there? Has it occured to these people that enforcing the existing law against creating the graffiti would be the thing to do? Violators should, among other punishments, be required to clean up all the graffiti in town, not just their own.

[PeteB570]

Much easier to go after the building owner. More money to be found also.

[sgtbono2002]

They slap the gangs hands and fine the owners. Good move.

Where are the police patrols at night when this crap goes on?

[Cagey]

Few things shout "Third World" more than graffiti and you're right about it being wrong to punish the victims.

New York City was looking like a sewer when Giuliani declared war on graffiti and he created a special task force to solve the problem. Part of the solution was arresting and punishing offenders.

[clee1]

To say nothing of the costs involved in repainting once a week to cover up the results of CRIMINAL ACTIVITY! Perhaps the City should concentrate more on removing the gang-bangers that are doing the initial crime anyway.

This kind of thing ALWAYS backfires on a municipality. The increasing crime drives away alot of businesses, then the City itself drives away more with their punitive policies. Soon, all that's left IS the criminal element and professional welfare slugs.

Won't politicians ever learn?

[Alia]

Broken Windows theory is pretty much an active part of police policy in much of the nation. I think it has merit; more importantly, has been proven right.

Republican Mayor Giuliani adopted the strategy in New York City in 1994.

[Alia]

Bingo. See post #6.

[BIRDS]

That would allow the graffitti a far greater rate of remaining and multiplication of occurence afterward, since most graffitti is rendered covertly, as in, "when no one is looking" in the early and dark a.m. hours.

You can locate the property WITH the graffiti ON it, and the property owner/s, far easier than you can the vandals who are responsible for the graffitti.

Thus, for purposes of removing/remedying the graffitti, you have to pursue the property owners (because otherwise, many property owners who reside other areas than where their propertywithgraffitti is located, will just leave it be, so you have to provide an incentive for property owners to remove it).

As for the vandals who create graffitti, most locations have still penalties for them when they are caught, cited. But the most urgent issue is to remove existing graffiti once it appears to avoid more graffitti soon after.

I know of what I speak. Graffitti represents a very stupid tag game by very stupid people, and waiting around for the stupid people responsible to remedy their stupid tag markings is like asking stupid people to stop doing stupid things...not gonna' happen unless and until you make it more difficult for stupid people to act out.

[BIRDS]

should have read, "stiff penalties," not "still penalties" in previous.

[DumpsterDiver]

Nothing like punishing the victim, is there?

We have similar laws here in Los Angeles.

Has it occured to these people that enforcing the existing law against creating the graffiti would be the thing to do?

Too much work and not enough police. When my house was tagged, I called the LAPD and they said that unless the graffiti contained a racial slur, then me filing a report would be just "one more piece of paper" floating around the police station.

I was tempted to put up a sign out front announcing the grand opening of a Mexican Art Exhibit.

[deaconjim]

Part of the solution was arresting and punishing offenders.

What a concept. Punishing the building owners is like fining murder victims for the blood stains on the sidewalk.

Police spokesman Officer Brian Marshall says graffiti is a problem that can bring other criminal activities. "If you do nothing about the graffiti, then that shows the neighborhood is willing to tolerate certain activities," Marshall said.

They still aren't doing anything about graffiti, they are only doing something about the evidence of it.

[MortMan]

so you have to provide an incentive for property owners to remove it

This is not an "incentive". It is a punishment, plain and simple.

And it is a stealth tax on graffiti victims.

[CSM]

"Marietta is getting tough on graffiti by fining property owners $1,000 or even imposing jail time if they let the vandalism linger."

I wonder how many city officials are now motivated to start tagging private property? How many of their children participate in graffiti?

[DB]

If your going to make me pay for someone else's crime then I should have the right to stop the crime myself by any means necessary.

[mosquitobite]

Bingo! I can see both sides to this. The property owner is going to watch their property much closer after an incident, thus perhaps the vandalism rate will go down.

[Americanexpat]

If your going to make me pay for someone else's crime then I should have the right to stop the crime by any means necessary.

------

Just think, after the property owner cleans up this graffiti the slime balls will come back to a nice clean building to do it again.

I imagine that after a property owner shells out several thousands of dollars in fines or spends some time in jail over this we will start seeing some a$$holes laying in the street shot to hell with a spay can in his hand.

[Ma3lst0rm]

Its always wonderful when politicians come up with what they think are "ingenious" ideas like this. Sometimes I think we ought to make the lobotomy of elected officals mandatory if only to protect us from their ridiculous ideas. God knows they already behave as if they have no idea where their will and our pocket books end.

[metmom]

"Where are the police patrols at night when this crap goes on?"


I've often wondered this myself with some of the elaborate graffiti I've seen in some of the most public places. You know it had to have taken a considerable amount of time.

[metmom]

"The property owner is going to watch their property much closer after an incident, thus perhaps the vandalism rate will go down."


I think that going after the property owners has some merit IF the property has been abandoned. There are too many slum lords who live in a different community from their properties and JUST DON'T CARE. They let everyone else live with it.

[Preachin']

I was born and raised in Marietta and live a few miles north of it these days.

I don't go through Marietta often anymore, but am willing to bet that most of this vandalism is from Mexican gangs.

That's just a guess.

In 1980 there was hardly one Mexican family in Marietta. Today it is saturated with Mexicans.

Old Marietta is very pristine and has been kept up through the years, but a large portion of Marietta has become a rental paradise for Mexicans and slumlords.