259 replies to this topic

[CtownMikey]

lets tag the statehouse and city hall with this---> "if you cant clean the city, then dont you dare clean this"


and see what happens

[Cotuit]

CtownMikey, on Apr 1 2007, 06:12 PM, said:

lets tag the statehouse and city hall with this---> "if you cant clean the city, then dont you dare clean this"
and see what happens

That's the thing that gets me. There were swastikas in Waterplace for several weeks last year, and the excuse was that the equipment needed temps above freezing to work. If there were swastikas painted on the front of City Hall would we have had to have waited for temps to go above freezing to remove them? I think not, so why did we have to wait for Waterplace?

And why should I have to 'report' graffiti in Waterplace? Does no one from the Parks Department ever go there?

[Lone Ranger]

Cotuit, on Apr 1 2007, 05:18 PM, said:

Has anyone reported using the online form?

I just made a report on the giant tag I photographed in Waterplace. I went back to get the link to the form for this post... 404 not found. WTF!?

The form has no place to add comments. It asks for a street address and cross street. What is the street address for under the Exchange Street Bridge? 123 Woonasquatucket River? So I didn't list an address, just at the interesction of Memorial and Exhange. Then it asks what type of surface is tagged, it doesn't offer tile wall as an option, so I listed 'wall-unknown surface,' event though I know the surface. I could have answered all these things if their were just a box for me to provide more information (like a link to the photo above). Useless.

Here's the link:
http://www.providenceri.com/graffiti/

It's not 404 but the CSS is still not rendering properly, the form wouldn't take my phone number, I tried to type it in the box and it was feeding back gibberish to me.

Huh.

I could make reference to a certain song called LAMC, but I doubt we have too many Tool fans here.

[mimesis]

What we need is someone with some basic web design skills. If we could get a webpage up �say, "www.ProvidenceGraffitti.org" � that allows people to post pictures of graffitti around Providence, along with an address and description, and perhaps a google map link, I'm sure we cold get the attention of the ProJo, followed by the (embarassed) Mayor's Office. The are (ugly, uncreative) tags all down my street, and they've been there for at least six months after being reported.

UP members who are graphic/web designers: We need you!

[CtownMikey]

Isn't there someone in charge of this task force who could be tracked down and asked face to face "hey, why isn't this being taken care of?"

[quente]

These are all terrific solutions but I think we're getting ahead of ourselves.

First, we need to define the problem by talking directly to the people who are supposed to be addressing the graffiti problem. Once we have a sense of what's working and what's not, then we can offer solutions - websites, improving the online form, and, my personal favorite, tagging the Statehouse and City Hall!

As much as I'd like to continue talking about it on UP, I realize it won't get us very far in solving the problem. In order to be effective, we need a coordinated effort. inProv has offered to get the ball rolling and I'm willing to help. Who else wants to work on this? If you're interested, PM me and I'll pass it on to inProv so we can schedule a date and get started.

[runawayjim]

mimesis, on Apr 1 2007, 07:16 PM, said:

What we need is someone with some basic web design skills. If we could get a webpage up �say, "www.ProvidenceGraffitti.org" � that allows people to post pictures of graffitti around Providence, along with an address and description, and perhaps a google map link, I'm sure we cold get the attention of the ProJo, followed by the (embarassed) Mayor's Office. The are (ugly, uncreative) tags all down my street, and they've been there for at least six months after being reported.

UP members who are graphic/web designers: We need you!

i'm gonna get my own webspace soon... i'll do it. at less than $10 a year for a domain, i'll take care of it. if someone happens to register it before me, but needs hosting, let me know and i'll host a site.

[inProv]

Cotuit, on Apr 1 2007, 04:18 PM, said:

Has anyone reported using the online form?

I just made a report on the giant tag I photographed in Waterplace. I went back to get the link to the form for this post... 404 not found. WTF!?

The form has no place to add comments. It asks for a street address and cross street. What is the street address for under the Exchange Street Bridge? 123 Woonasquatucket River? So I didn't list an address, just at the interesction of Memorial and Exhange. Then it asks what type of surface is tagged, it doesn't offer tile wall as an option, so I listed 'wall-unknown surface,' event though I know the surface. I could have answered all these things if their were just a box for me to provide more information (like a link to the photo above). Useless.

Here's the link:
http://www.providenceri.com/graffiti/

It's not 404 but the CSS is still not rendering properly, the form wouldn't take my phone number, I tried to type it in the box and it was feeding back gibberish to me.

I've had the same frustration that you faced with this website. A text box that allows you to describe the graffiti incident in detail is needed. Also, a tracking number should be assigned to each case reported. We all agree that reporting graffiti seems unneccessary since the task force could find most of it simply by driving around. However, reporting the graffiti creates a paper trail and a record of each incident. This becomes important if charges are later brought against a graffiti vandal.

[inProv]

runawayjim, on Apr 1 2007, 07:52 PM, said:

i'm gonna get my own webspace soon... i'll do it. at less than $10 a year for a domain, i'll take care of it. if someone happens to register it before me, but needs hosting, let me know and i'll host a site.

If you would be willing to lend your talents on the website front, that would be extremely helpful.

Edited by inProv, 01 April 2007 - 08:11 PM.

[quente]

Cotuit, on Apr 1 2007, 04:18 PM, said:

The form has no place to add comments. It asks for a street address and cross street. What is the street address for under the Exchange Street Bridge? 123 Woonasquatucket River? So I didn't list an address, just at the interesction of Memorial and Exhange. Then it asks what type of surface is tagged, it doesn't offer tile wall as an option, so I listed 'wall-unknown surface,' event though I know the surface. I could have answered all these things if their were just a box for me to provide more information (like a link to the photo above). Useless.

inProv, on Apr 1 2007, 09:06 PM, said:

I've had the same frustration that you faced with this website. A text box that allows you to describe the graffiti incident in detail is needed. Also, a tracking number should be assigned to each case reported. We all agree that reporting graffiti seems unneccessary since the task force could find most of it simply by driving around. However, reporting the graffiti creates a paper trail and a record of each incident. This becomes important if charges are later brought against a graffiti vandal.

Since we're talking about the form, here are some suggestions that showed up in a link posted by sjwillis earlier in this thread:

What is missing on the City�s graffiti reporting site is a view of the data that citizens have submitted. A view that includes:

• the date the graffiti was reported
  
• the location of the graffiti (perhaps with a neighborhood designation so citizens could see all the graffit data on their neighborhood)
  
• the date that the City placed a notice on the property to start the 10-day enforcement countdown
  
• the date the City is scheduled to remove the graffiti
  
• confirmation that the graffiti has been removed

Here's a link to the Summit Neighborhood Association Blog where these suggestions appear as well as a thumbnail of the new proposed online form.

[runawayjim]

inProv, on Apr 1 2007, 10:10 PM, said:

If you would be willing to lend your talents on the website front, that would be extremely helpful.

i would be more than willing as i know this is a serious issue and i want it taken care of. if embarrassing the city is what's needed, so be it.

[Frankie811]

Check out what they're doing in the Federal Way/Tacoma, WA area. http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/s...p-5715247c.html

[Cotuit]

Quote

• The city wants to stiffen its code, requiring property owners or tenants to paint over graffiti within 48 hours after notice. Violators could be fined $100 for each day the graffiti remains. They also could face criminal penalties of up to $5,000 in fines or up to one year in jail. The city could clean up the graffiti if the owner refuses, said city attorney Pat Richardson.

• It’s adding a third code-compliance officer and a parks maintenance employee to help handle graffiti. More police officers also will be looking for taggers.

• It is planning “Operation Cover-up” on April 21 for volunteers to clean up graffiti throughout the city.

I see why they are doing it, but I find it a little unfair to be punishing the victim here. Not everyone has the resources to clean up graffiti within 48 hours, especially if they live or have a business in an area that is heavily targeted by taggers (which is usually the poorer neighborhoods, think Olneyville). And $5,000 or one year in jail??? WTF? Also, I wonder how evenly that would be enforced. If tags are in heavily industrial areas will the property owners face the penalties as uniformly as residential or business district areas? In Providence think of all the tags along the train tracks, does anyone really get that worked up about those?

The third point is a good one, wouldn't it be nice if Providence paid someone like Groundwork to organize clean-up gangs?

[Bil]

runawayjim, on Apr 1 2007, 09:53 PM, said:

i would be more than willing as i know this is a serious issue and i want it taken care of. if embarrassing the city is what's needed, so be it.

Jim, I don't want to horn in on you, but I'd also like to offer any help I can for a site. I'm one of those lucky jerks who writes web apps all day and still likes coding at home.

I even have good hosting ready to go right now if you want to get started sooner than later.

Feel free to PM me if there's anything (techy) I can do.

[Frankie811]

Hey! I just had a thought! Yeah, I know, what an event! Has anyone come up with an idea to create a space where taggers could express themselves in a contained area? Let's legalize this, so to speak. In other words, let's have some land or space/area put aside where we'll allow "artists" to express themselves. Let them be heard, but only in this space. Could it be done?

[Cotuit]

Like 5 Pointz in Queens. I used to see this everyday from the 7 train.

[runawayjim]

Frankie811, on Apr 2 2007, 10:16 AM, said:

Hey! I just had a thought! Yeah, I know, what an event! Has anyone come up with an idea to create a space where taggers could express themselves in a contained area? Let's legalize this, so to speak. In other words, let's have some land or space/area put aside where we'll allow "artists" to express themselves. Let them be heard, but only in this space. Could it be done?

Cotuit, on Apr 2 2007, 10:21 AM, said:

Like 5 Pointz in Queens. I used to see this everyday from the 7 train.

problem is... we don't have taggers that are that creative. ours just seem to want to write expletives whenever and wherever they can get away with it. the only creative one i've seen was the one cotuit took in waterplace park.

the masonic temple also had some creative stuff, but that's obviously gone.

[Bil]

Frankie811, on Apr 2 2007, 09:16 AM, said:

Hey! I just had a thought! Yeah, I know, what an event! Has anyone come up with an idea to create a space where taggers could express themselves in a contained area? Let's legalize this, so to speak. In other words, let's have some land or space/area put aside where we'll allow "artists" to express themselves. Let them be heard, but only in this space. Could it be done?

There's something like that in East Greenwich. Here's the Bird's Eye view This one is better. The white walls in the center are a path that goes under the train tracks and they're covered in "graffiti." Of course it's, it's EG, so it's pretty tame ("Democrats are icky!", "My portfolio kicks your portfolio's butt!"). Here's a pic.

Tough to tell whether it "works" or not.

Edited by Bil, 02 April 2007 - 08:55 AM.

[matt]

i just submitted via the contact form on the citys website a complaint about the graffiti reporting form not displaying correctly. perhaps someone could also report the above listed ideas to change the form.

http://www.providenc...com/contact.php

[Liamlunchtray]

Bil, on Apr 2 2007, 10:43 AM, said:

There's something like that in East Greenwich. Here's the Bird's Eye view. The white walls in the center are a path that goes under the train tracks and they're covered in "graffiti." Of course it's, it's EG, so it's pretty tame ("Democrats are icky!", "My portfolio kicks your portfolio's butt!"). Here's a pic.

Tough to tell whether it "works" or not.

The problem with safe walls is that for the most part they will attract the more serious "artist" type graffitti people (which most people have less of a problem with) but not the taggers who are only interested in getting their name up in as many places as possible. Its the kids just tagging all over that are the annoying ones and also the ones who tend to do things like tag houses, independent businesses, etc. In the West End the annoying stuff is the gang banger kids - they will tag ANYTHING and have no "code" as to what is and what is not appropriate. No one serious about graffiti would ever tag a fence belonging to a residence, but the gang kids do it all the time. (Like the fence opposite the community garden on Chapin).