Two of the Bay Area’s largest cities have launched new attacks on graffiti this week — and each is hoping to crack down on the illegal art form in a distinct way.
Last Friday the City of San Francisco announced it will give $250 to anyone who can provide police with information leading to the arrest of a graffiti artist. Last year, without the reward as incentive, the city arrested 238 taggers.
Neighboring San Jose, is taking a different approach. As part of it’s “Graffiti Eradication Week” the city is giving out free graffiti removal kits. The kits include a paint can with solvent spray, protective eyeglasses, sponges and rags.
With both cities trying to get at the problem in a completely different way, I wonder which method will work best?
Is the best practice a preventative approach – by removing graffiti artists from the streets they tag and putting them behind bars? Or is it better to use a reactive approach — by arming community members with the ability to take care of tags as quick and easily as possible?
Last week the arrest of notorious Boston-area graffiti artist, Spek, was big news in the street art world. If San Francisco’s approach leads to an increase in arrests, I would suspect it would have a greater impact among taggers than San Jose’s method. But with community members most concerned with removing the eye sores as soon as possible, San Jose’s approach may be favored by locals.
