Graffiti Abatement: Little Things Matter
By Kerry L. Goodwin, Site Coordinator
High school students help with the FRI cleanup in Dallas.
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It's often said that little things don't matter. It's a well-known fact that most "Weed and Seeders" take for granted that broken windows, graffiti, and litter—although all are nuisances—are just part of the job. They are a mess to clean up, and they take time, money, and energy away from other things—bigger things.
But, little things do matter.
Dallas, like many big cities, is learning that when people work together and attack small problems, bigger problems become easier to address. During the past several months, the combined efforts of East Dallas Weed and Seed, Ferguson Road Initiative Weed and Seed, Pleasant Grove Weed and Seed, and hundreds of volunteers, other community partners, and the Dallas City Council have had a big impact on the "taggers and gang bangers" who force their "street art" on the community.
Earlier this spring, volunteers spent a Saturday cleaning up and filled more than 100 trash bags with litter from the streets of the Ferguson Road Initiative and Ferguson Road Initiative 2-Points sites. The volunteers also attacked dozens of graffiti sites within the immediate target area. The lessons learned from this early foray resulted in more than 700 volunteers gathering on May 20 for the first annual citywide Graffiti Wipe Out 2006.
Private companies and community organizations donated more than $40,000 in supplies to combat this problem, which degrades neighborhoods and lowers property values. Students from Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas joined hundreds of other volunteers to scrub, scour, and paint over the graffiti on more than 200 buildings, bridges, and other structures throughout the city. All volunteers were treated to a free lunch and music at Dallas City Hall after the event, courtesy of area restaurants and businesses.
To the surprise of some volunteers, including a Dallas city councilperson, one "tagger" appeared to replace his art before the Graffiti Wipe Out paint was even dry. Fortunately, this Weed and Seed and volunteer activity coincided with increased efforts at Dallas City Hall to stop the proliferation of graffiti by increasing the consequences for those caught or suspected of producing it. A quick call to 911 resulted in the tagger's immediate arrest.
When graffiti appears and no one cares enough to scrub it off, or when litter accumulates and no one stops to pick it up, serious damage can begin. In a relatively short time, the neighborhood may become damaged beyond the residents' and other stakeholders' ability and desire to fix it, and neglect sets in. Soon, the sense of abandonment felt by the residents becomes reality.
Attacking small and petty problems is rarely a waste of time, according to the "broken window" theory, which states that in a decaying neighborhood, people feel vulnerable and begin to withdraw. Residents become less willing to intervene in problems, maintain public order, or address physical signs of deterioration; offenders become bolder; and crime increases. This happened in the Dallas community. The "broken window" theory suggests that strategies designed to establish neighborhood order help to deter and reduce crime.
Indeed, since the neighborhood was cleaned up, business has begun to return, investments are being made, and new homes are being built. The Ferguson Road Initiative's Weed and Seed target area has helped bring nearly $40 million in growth to the immediate Ferguson Road Weed and Seed target area in the past 5 years. Violent crime is down 61 percent, and overall crime has fallen 27 percent—all true testaments to the value of Weed and Seed.
For more information, contact:
Kerry L. Goodwin
Ferguson Road Initiative and 2 Points Community Site Coordinator
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