“It’s just very disheartening to see the urban decay in my neighborhood,” said Victoria McNeal, the president of the Riverdale Neighborhood Association. “We need help. ... And I know it’s all over Dayton.”
But authorities are offering cash rewards for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of prolific vandals. Police say they believe a small number of people are causing a lot of the vandalism.
Major problem
Graffiti tags are all over Dayton. They are on boarded-up homes and closed-down businesses along East Third Street, like the former Rite Aid and the Coffee Cup establishment. They cover the walls of abandoned buildings on West Third Street, including the old Club Majestic and Church’s Chicken properties.
North Main Street also has a major problem with graffiti.
Dayton’s public works department always monitors graffiti and tracks where it shows up, said Brian Dahm, the city’s street maintenance manager.
Dahm said public works only removes graffiti from the public right-of-way, though it can remove offensive language that has been spray painted on vacant, privately owned properties. Tags on private property usually are referred to the housing division, and city staff try to get property owners to remove or cover up the markings.
Lots of illegal graffiti across the city is removed, painted over or otherwise covered up. But oftentimes the cover-up isn’t perfect, and new paint doesn’t match the original colors, or the tags underneath are still visible.
A few weeks ago, Dayton police Major Brian Johns announced that Miami Valley Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for tips and information that result in the arrest and conviction of prolific taggers.
The police department wants to “hold people accountable for destroying our city,” Johns said. “It’s an issue that impacts our entire city.”
Dayton police say they believe that a small number of individuals — possibly as few as five or six people — are responsible for a large share of the graffiti that has been showing up across the city.
Major Johns said graffiti is a highly underreported crime, and the police department needs community members to notify police when they see new graffiti because officers may be able to find witnesses or video footage that can help identify the culprits.
Generally speaking, graffiti cases are difficult to prosecute because very often there are no witnesses or other helpful evidence.
In April, Dayton police Chief Kamran Afzal sent Dickstein a memo that says the police department and other city departments have a multi-faceted approach to addressing graffiti.
Afzal’s memo says the evidence suggests that a small number of people are responsible for much of the graffiti tags, and police are actively patrolling the Main Street corridor and engaging people who are seen carrying backpacks during late-night and early morning hours.
The police chief also said that the police department is working with property owners to remove graffiti quickly and identify potential strategies to deter the vandalism. Officials say removing graffiti immediately frustrates vandals and decreases the likelihood that the property will be vandalized again.
Major Johns last month made a public plea to the taggers in the city, urging them to not deface and vandalize property. He said many people are working tirelessly to revitalize and beautify the city, and graffiti is harming those efforts.
Johns said there are plenty of opportunities for urban artists to create murals and other public artwork. He said illegal graffiti isn’t a valid form of artistic expression — he said it’s a crime that causes harm.
About the Author
