Watsonville council wants tough penalties for graffiti

Rex Rackley, the city's graffiti removal coordinator, paints over graffiti in Watsonville where city officials say they have spent $150,000 cleaning up tagging.

[Watsonville parent]

why shouldn't there be a "punitive" consequence for tagging? It's illegal and destructive.

[wildman]

Let's get tough on a can of spray paint, but knives and guns are OK.

[Santa Cruz Parent]

Watsonville parent wrote:

why shouldn't there be a "punitive" consequence for tagging? It's illegal and destructive.

Define "punitive". I might agree.

Another reason grafitti has proliferated is that people won't go out and clean up their property after it happens. They call the city who is supposed to do it all. One guy covering what many are doing? They must be using that "new math". As long at the taggers know their mess is going to be up for awhile, they'll keep doing it. They don't worry about punishment because in their mind, they aren't going to get caught.

[Herman]

cut off wrote:

The new sound wall along the freeway has been defaced already and the damage will last forever. The state needs to come up with a paint that once applied, any other paint or markers will wipe off. I am not sure this is possible though but should be looked into. As for the taggers, once caught they loose one finger. If caught again they loose a hand. That will send a very strong message to these punks.

The paint you speak of has been around for years, it just costs more.

[Serf City]

Luis Alejo is an idiot. Of course he doesn't want the taggers to be punished; the taggers are his constituency.

There should be restitution for the amount of damage caused, plus community service.$4000 for $150000 worth of damage is BS.

Jail seems a little harsh, but with the cut backs in government services, the city should have no problem in finding things for these taggers to do.

[Dave]

The only thing that will stop these "taggers" is a real punishment.

Why should there be a government paid painter to fix the problems that these "artists" cause.

My solution would be to have the "artists" have to clean, not paint over, the offensive paint. Give them a toothbrush and some paint thinner. while they are cleaning the ugly paintings, have a bunch of grammar school kids to gather round and laugh at these guys. Humiliation is part of the cure. Only when these punks are mortified and laughed at by kids will they ever stop defacing other peoples property. It is so simple. This sort of thing happened at my junior high school in L.A. in the 50s. It continued to happen until the offenders were caught (white kids) and they were made to clean it at lunch time and recess time. All of the other kids would gather around them and everyone got a big laugh. They never had to worry about it ever again. Embarrassment and humiliation works wonders.

[Stamatos]

the paents should be financially responsible if their scum children can't be. Maybe they will rethink coming here knowing they will just be in debt for all the property damage their kids are likely to rack up. Or better yet, maybe they will have fewer of them and actually PARENT them to contribute rather than destroy.

[Dave]

Stamatos wrote:

the paents should be financially responsible if their scum children can't be. Maybe they will rethink coming here knowing they will just be in debt for all the property damage their kids are likely to rack up. Or better yet, maybe they will have fewer of them and actually PARENT them to contribute rather than destroy.

You bring up a good point. Let the parents get out there with a toothbrush as well. Make it a family project. I'm sure that would motivate someone to stop doing this if their mom and dad were out there with them cleaning up as a family unit. sounds good to me.

[cut it off]

Dave wrote:

The only thing that will stop these "taggers" is a real punishment.
Why should there be a government paid painter to fix the problems that these "artists" cause.
My solution would be to have the "artists" have to clean, not paint over, the offensive paint. Give them a toothbrush and some paint thinner. while they are cleaning the ugly paintings, have a bunch of grammar school kids to gather round and laugh at these guys. Humiliation is part of the cure. Only when these punks are mortified and laughed at by kids will they ever stop defacing other peoples property. It is so simple. This sort of thing happened at my junior high school in L.A. in the 50s. It continued to happen until the offenders were caught (white kids) and they were made to clean it at lunch time and recess time. All of the other kids would gather around them and everyone got a big laugh. They never had to worry about it ever again. Embarrassment and humiliation works wonders.

Obviously you havn't been to LA lately. The side walls along Hwy 5 and everywhere else is one big mural. My post was deleated but you can still read it above as one has quoted me and made a reply. The solution is to cut off one of their fingers on the first offense and a hand on the second. That will put a stop to the problem.

[Watsonville resident]

Serf City wrote:

Luis Alejo is an idiot. Of course he doesn't want the taggers to be punished; the taggers are his constituency.
There should be restitution for the amount of damage caused, plus community service.$4000 for $150000 worth of damage is BS.
Jail seems a little harsh, but with the cut backs in government services, the city should have no problem in finding things for these taggers to do.

You sound more like the idiot here. Did you even watch the meeting? Were you there? If you did, you would have known that Alejo raised this issue to send out a stronger message against graffiti. No one was raising the issue. He said he not only wanted punitive measures, but ALSO more community service. Punitive measure are already ordered, but the community service and restitution aspect were weak. Had you bothered to watch the meeting, you would not look as ignorant and misinformed as you write. Next time take time to attend meetings instead of getting all your information and making stupid remarks based on articles that give you only a sound bite.

[Lucas]

Deporting the parents of the taggers would send the right message.

[dude bro]

unfortunately graffiti writers are black white mexican and asian its not one race. gang tagging and graffiti are very different.

[Dave]

cut it off wrote:

<quoted text>
Obviously you havn't been to LA lately. The side walls along Hwy 5 and everywhere else is one big mural. My post was deleated but you can still read it above as one has quoted me and made a reply. The solution is to cut off one of their fingers on the first offense and a hand on the second. That will put a stop to the problem.

Actually I grew up in L.A. Went to school in South Central. They have taken the graffiti thing and turned it into a mural painting creative arts program. This to me, looks pretty good. There are other areas that they have not controlled as well. The main issue with our justice system these days is that no one is worried about being given a slap on the wrist. The criminals do not see a connection between their behavior and their job future being compromised.

[Dave]

cut it off wrote:

<quoted text>
Obviously you havn't been to LA lately. The side walls along Hwy 5 and everywhere else is one big mural. My post was deleated but you can still read it above as one has quoted me and made a reply. The solution is to cut off one of their fingers on the first offense and a hand on the second. That will put a stop to the problem.

Do you know that is the punishment for stealing in Saudi Arabia. If a person is caught stealing, they lose that hand. As a result of the punishment not fitting the crime, most people never report a theft. Therefore theft is huge over there. See how it works.

Also did you know that in the thirties in this country, Dillinger, George Nelson, Charles Arthur Floyd never went below the Mason Dixon Line to rob banks. The reason was that they were afraid of Southern Prisons. We need to get back to those days. either that or Pink underware like Sheriff Joe has in Arizona. That will work as well.

[asdf]

or you all can get a life and donate to a LEGAL GRAFFITI DESTINATION that would fix this problem idiots..