Police are following leads on nearly a dozen complaints of tagging near 41st Street and Monroe in Kensington reported in a week’s time.
Neighbors have reported thousands of dollars in damage to homes, buildings and cars. The worst of it is concentrated in an alley off 41st Street between Monroe and Mead Avenues.
The deep brush strokes of new white paint on residents’ garage doors aren't home improvement, they are more like home preservation.
"It wouldn't be so bad if it weren’t a rough surface. It’s so absorbent," one resident said.
With the city's help, neighbors who live along the alley off 41st Street are removing the vandalism before the already bad graffiti gets worse.
Marvin Attiq commissioned local artist Anthony Perez to create a mural on the side of his home, but it was defaced by taggers.
"Lot of people with kids walk by from the schools so we figured we would give them something enjoyable and pleasant to look at," Attiq said.
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The mural on Monroe Market, just across the alley was untouched. Owner Robert Jabro was no less offended.
"I was very angry, and I told my neighbors about it,’ Jabro said.
A van parked in the alley was tagged and smeared with red paint and the apartment across from it got similar treatment.
"You can cause damage, but we will fix it, " Attiq said.
Tagging in this alley is rare, but Attiq said it’s important to cover it up as quickly as possible.
"Competitors will come right away. They will try to cross it out, then what it does is cause a conflict between different groups," Attiq said.
Neighbors are always at the ready to discourage tagging, but say they’ll forever encourage consented, positive artful expression.
"You are wasting your time putting your name up when you can actually do something beautiful and get a couple dollars for it," Attiq said.
Ten tagging complaints have been made to the city in the last week, according to the city’s Get it Done app.
Neighbors say the city responded quickly to Attiq’s mural and had much of it covered up by Tuesday afternoon.
If you see graffiti in your neighborhood you can report it to the Graffiti Control Program online or on the Get It Done app. Complaints are confidential.
