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Graffiti Busters
Visitors from around the nation flock to Asheville to enjoy our beautiful town as well as the amazing people that call it home. Graffiti vandalism sends the wrong message to our visiting guests as well as damages property value and causes urban decay. In response to this growing issue, Asheville GreenWorks introduces the Graffiti Busters program.
If you’re plagued by graffiti vandalism, consider becoming a member of our Graffiti Busters program.
1 year Graffiti Busters Membership $150.00 *per property* The member would be responsible for providing the paint or graffiti remover and our Volunteers will remove or paint over the graffiti each time you have an instance of vandalism.
Your membership is 100% tax deductible and you will be one of many persons supporting a “Clean, Green & Safe” Asheville and Buncombe County through your membership.
Click on the button below to become a member, or call our offices for more information. (828) 254-1776
Preventing and Controlling Graffiti
Experience shows that prompt removal of graffiti is one of the most effective measures against its recurrence. Graffiti that is not removed quickly tends to attract more graffiti. Often motivated by a need to have their work seen by other “taggers” end to be discouraged from repeating their efforts in a location where their work is quickly removed. Apart from removal, effective graffiti-prevention measures can be considered under two headings. The first consists of physical measures involving maintenance, lighting, security and the erection of barriers on or around the property itself. The second focuses on community awareness programs that include neighborhood patrols, community service programs and educational programs in the schools.
Maintenance and Security
Neglect invites vandalism, whereas a well-maintained property encourages civic pride. Thus, careful attention should be given to establishing regular maintenance programs which do not allow properties to reach a point of obvious deterioration or abandonment. Cyclical maintenance also makes good sense economically. Graffiti is less likely to occur if the tagger can be clearly seen. It is often recommended that accessible, graffiti-prone areas be illuminated with floodlighting or spotlights. Graffiti may also be reduced or prevented by the presence of security guards, park rangers or police officers, or by the visible presence of surveillance cameras. Publicity about arrests and punitive measures against the taggers, and the general vigilance of the security system may also reduce graffiti.
Employing Natural Barriers
If they are historically appropriate and compatible with the historic property, soft barriers in the form of low, possibly thorny, shrubs and bushes or other forms of landscaping and planting may be effective deterrents. Such plantings can make it difficult to reach the property by any route other than the approved secure one. Hard barriers provided by fences and transparent screens or shields, such as clear acrylic or other polycarbonate sheets, may also afford some degree of protection. But these can have a negative aesthetic impact on the property’s appearance, particularly if the barriers themselves become disfigured by graffiti.
Understanding the impact of Graffiti Vandalism (Broken Window Theory)
The broken windows theory is a criminological theory of the norm setting and signaling effect of urban disorder and vandalism on additional crime and anti-social behavior. The theory states that monitoring and maintaining urban environments in a well-ordered condition may stop further vandalism as well as an escalation into more serious crime.
The theory was introduced in a 1982 article by social scientists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling. Since then it has been subject to great debate both within the social sciences and in the public debate. The theory has been used as a motivation for several reforms in criminal policy. The broken windows theory has received support from several empirical studies. At the same time it has also been the subject of a large body of criticism.
Download The Broken Window Theory PDF HERE
Community Awareness
Community action and education often play an important role in a successful anti-graffiti program. Neighborhood watches can effectively deter “taggers” and can help police and other security agencies in the detection and prevention of graffiti. Intensive public campaigns against graffiti, including presentations in schools, developing programs to foster community pride, and sentencing offenders to remove graffiti in their own community can also be useful. Publicity concerning arrests of “taggers” can be a useful preventive tool. (But, on the other hand, frequent newspaper coverage of graffiti outbreaks or even of new community efforts at deterring graffiti can sometimes have the opposite effect by challenging the “creativity” of “taggers”). Community groups trained in proper cleaning techniques can also assist property owners in prompt and non-damaging graffiti removal. If you’re property is “tagged” please call the Asheville Police Departments non emergency number to report this incident. 828-252-1110
