The Southwest Voice

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A couple weeks ago my principal arrived at our school to find it covered — nearly the length of a city block — with graffiti.  Needless to say, the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District maintenance crew dealt with it in no time, but the damage will stay in our minds. We, our staff, feel violated. Our school is beautiful, shiny and clean. Why in the world would anyone do that?  Why would someone take numerous cans of spray paint and write symbols and abbreviations all over our science windows and walls, our gym, and all points between? I just don’t get it!

Our Bakersfield Police Liaison Officer Ronnie Dulan cruises the neighborhood, noticing all the damage done to street signs, block walls, and even homes and their fences. Why do taggers deface property?  According to Stonecreek Junior High School Vice Principal Brian Malavar, they think it’s art and like how it looks. 

“They love the attention,” said Malavar. “We find if the graffiti is quickly removed, taggers are less likely to keep doing it because they don’t get to see their work for very long.” 

When police respond, they take photos, code it to indicate what it looked like and where it occurred, and then match all graffiti in preparation for court hearings when taggers are eventually caught and have to pay for damages across the community.

People in the neighborhood hate it. It causes property values to drop, it costs taxpayers as crews remove the unsightly marks, and it does psychological damage as well. It breeds fear in people that their neighborhood is becoming gang infested.

There is a progression, some say, to graffiti.  A child starts writing symbols and their initials on paper, according to Officer Dulan. Then they give it a go on walls.

Statistically, chances are if the little artist is serious, they will join a gang and, before long, carry a weapon. Many children love to doodle on paper and make bubble letters, but keep an eye on kids who continually do that.  At our school, gang-style writing will earn a student a visit to the office and possibly suspension.

So what can we do on the home front? Nip it in the bud. Call the police to report graffiti immediately. They will have crews out in no time. It makes me sick that someone would want to damage our school, our neighborhoods and our communities. It’s up to all of us to see that it stops.