Auburn homes, businesses hit with rash of graffiti vandalism
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AUBURN, Wash. -- The City of Auburn is in the middle of a nasty graffiti war, and anyone who's walked around town lately can see the vandals may be winning.
Crews are working hard to paint over the spray-painted tags that have recently popped up in Auburn.
"It's just some young people out there having some kind of what they consider to be fun, (but) it's vandalism to us," said Mayor Pete Lewis.
The city has recorded 75 separate tagging incidents over the past two weeks. It takes time and money to clean all that up, and a lot of people are getting tired of it.
Business owner Richard White is one of them.
"It doesn't feel comfortable, it doesn't look good and it doesn't feel safe," he said.
White recently moved his tattoo shop to a new building that has been tagged many times.
"They've gotten our old building, they've gotten my house, they gotten my neighbors houses," he said.
People pay Artists at Action Tattoo for a splash of color on their bodies, but nobody in the neighborhood is asking for paint on their property.
Police Chief Bob Lee said the latest round of taggings is not gang related and probably the work of kids.
"It makes people feel unsafe in the community when they see things happening they can't control," Lee said. "It's our job to try to get out there and put a stop to it."
He said citizens have to step up and help stop the crime.
"If you know it's going on you have to report it," he said. "If you see something, you have to say something. You can't just close your door and turn your lights out."
Lewis said his city will answer paint with paint.
"No matter how many times they put it out there, we'll clean it off," he said. "And we'll clean it off until they stop putting it up."
While the city will clean up graffiti on public property, private property owners are responsible for their own cleanup.
Crews are working hard to paint over the spray-painted tags that have recently popped up in Auburn.
"It's just some young people out there having some kind of what they consider to be fun, (but) it's vandalism to us," said Mayor Pete Lewis.
The city has recorded 75 separate tagging incidents over the past two weeks. It takes time and money to clean all that up, and a lot of people are getting tired of it.
Business owner Richard White is one of them.
"It doesn't feel comfortable, it doesn't look good and it doesn't feel safe," he said.
White recently moved his tattoo shop to a new building that has been tagged many times.
"They've gotten our old building, they've gotten my house, they gotten my neighbors houses," he said.
People pay Artists at Action Tattoo for a splash of color on their bodies, but nobody in the neighborhood is asking for paint on their property.
Police Chief Bob Lee said the latest round of taggings is not gang related and probably the work of kids.
"It makes people feel unsafe in the community when they see things happening they can't control," Lee said. "It's our job to try to get out there and put a stop to it."
He said citizens have to step up and help stop the crime.
"If you know it's going on you have to report it," he said. "If you see something, you have to say something. You can't just close your door and turn your lights out."
Lewis said his city will answer paint with paint.
"No matter how many times they put it out there, we'll clean it off," he said. "And we'll clean it off until they stop putting it up."
While the city will clean up graffiti on public property, private property owners are responsible for their own cleanup.
Public Caning. Bring over a skilled practicioner from Singapore.
You can partially blame the leftist media and liberal culture in our society for many times extolling that this GARBAGE is art to be admired and celebrated as an expression of inner-city diversity. Makes me so irritated when I see this defacing of the areas I used to enjoy visiting. Now many of these places look absolutely hideous and makes one look over your shoulder expecting to be mugged. Even in my neighborhood when a new cedar fence is put up, within days some filthy spray can wielding thug sprays is disgusting graffiti all over the fence. This behavior needs to be addressed and dealt with swiftly. Private and public property destruction is a serious crime and lowers property values.
@scottag Yup, time to ban spray paint.
Camp out with your 12 gauge full of rock salt. Pump a few rounds into them and tell them you were having fun also.
As long as I live, I will never understand why kids consider this to be "fun" as stated in the story.
It's very uncool to tag private homes. Have some class taggers.
@Ankle Biter So it's ok to deface public property?
@scottag @Ankle Biter No, but if they got to tag something I'd rather they paint up a few railroad bridges and big rocks on the side of the road like they used to do.
Let's make it a hard punishment when caught for this crime. $10,000 fine and 1 year in jail. If under 18, parents are liable for the fine. Repeat this crime, punishment will doubled, $20,000 fine and 2 years in prison. Third time around, I recommend the Saudi Arabian way, cut off their hands or execute them.
This crap is all over the I-5 corridor. Idiots ruining our beautiful slice of the country. Thanks gangs/rap music.
Can't wait til the stupid little chitheads grow up, and realize what a pain it is when someone destroys your stuff. Â They have no clue. Â Someday.. if they get caught, I would LOVE it if a parent or someone took all their stuff and just put it on the lawn, and poured cans of paint all over it. Use every color there is, and put their computers, and clothes, and phones, under a sea of paint. Â They truly don't understand how it feels. Â
Not gang related? Seriously?  It can't possibly be by accident that they panned quickly past that RSP. Auburn has a serious gang problem, and it isn't getting any better. Of course, the police chief and the mayor doddering around and reassuring us that there isn't a gang problem will do so much to make it all better.Â
Here's a fun punishment idea! When they get caught, ask them their least favorite color, and spray paint them that color. Then, handcuff them to a stop sign with a sign in their hand saying "I'm an idiot, and I got caught. Honk if you think I look silly."Â :)
@Takamine oh, I like it.Â
no way. not in Auburn. I will not believe this to be true.
They tell me it is art, I think it is stupid.
Perhaps some good security cameras, followed by public caning for convicted vandals. Singapore does some things right in these cases.
@Robert Lee I like the idea of bringing back stocks...
@Susabelle @Robert Lee I like the Idea of stoning, as in with rocks big ones.
@Cindertang @Susabelle @Robert Lee Well, I dont think it should be a death sentence... However I do think public humiliation is an underutilized tactic...