Graffiti taking up increasing amount of time, resources for parks officials

Apr. 30—Whether it be underpasses, buildings or local parks, graffiti has become the unfortunate norm for many St. Joseph areas, and city officials are struggling to curb the problem.

Jeff Atkins, assistant director of St. Joseph Parks, Recreation and Civic Facilities, has been with the department for over 39 years, and he said it's been a problem since he started.

"We go through spells from time to time where it does seem to get worse, and we seem to be going through one of them right now," Atkins said.

Graffiti isn't specific to just one part of town. It's everywhere, and officials don't know who's responsible.

"I don't know what to blame. If it's just being ornery or if they're trying to spread a message or exactly what's going on, but it's a concern," he said.

Atkins said the recent uptick could stem from the warmer weather. While Atkins believes these artists are talented, they don't realize the damage that graffiti does.

"It's not just a simple act of spray painting something on a wall or on an object. It's a lot of times just permanent damage to that structure," Atkins said.

Atkins isn't the only one troubled by the graffiti. Local resident John Clemmons used to work in the Downtown Hillyard building and said Downtown is one of the biggest hot spots for graffiti.

Clemmons said he's seen inappropriate messages plastered onto buildings.

"It's been there for a while and then they painted over it and then somebody did something else," he said.

As a resident of St. Joseph, Clemmons said it's embarrassing knowing these messages are displayed all over St. Joseph. He said he's afraid to know what tourists think of the scenery.

"It's kind of a downgrade. You know people drive through and see it," he said. "If it was pretty graffiti then it might be alright. But they've been putting cuss words and stuff in it that's not very good."

The parks department is working tirelessly to remove graffiti all over the city. First, they try removing it with just soap and water. Sometimes this works if the paint is somewhat fresh. The next option is to use a heated power washer.

Through both of these methods, they try to avoid chemicals to protect the paint or surface of the structure. However, if that still doesn't work, they just have to paint over it.

"If that's brick, that's really our last case scenario," Atkins said. "If we have to repaint a brick wall, you've lost the beauty of that brick wall forever."

Though Atkins likes seeing people express themselves, he said it's unfair to the St. Joseph taxpayers who have to pay to fix these issues.

"Some of these people are so talented. They're so talented. You know, you almost hate to cover up their artwork, but it's all graffiti," he said. "It's just not fair to the rest of the taxpayers that have to pay us to continually clean and maintain the surface."

Sometimes even after these removal processes, the art still leaves a lingering shadow.

"In some cases, it is almost as bad as the graffiti, because you can still see it," he said.

Atkins noted how some other cities have things like a "graffiti wall," a designated place where people can make art without destroying public property. However, that might not solve the problem.

"My fear is if we did that, if you came in and did a beautiful piece of art, the next night, somebody is going to come in and destroy it," Atkins said.

As far as solutions, the answer is unclear. Atkins said it's challenging to catch artists in the act and even harder to catch them after the fact.

If the parks department is made aware of new graffiti in the area, Atkins said they report it to police as well. From there, police have a way of identifying different symbols and can trace them back to certain groups or gangs.

However, Clemmons said he isn't sure that's enough.

"Just do more policing, I guess, and start making people accountable for what they do. I mean in St. Joe they're kind of laxed on, you know, getting them," he said.

Clemmons said he is disappointed with the state of the world but that it all starts with the younger generation and how they take care of the planet.

"You've got to live with this. I mean, this is going to be your world," he said. "I'm pretty old. I'm not going to be around. But I hate to see my grandson have to grow up in all this because the whole world's kind of been spiraling down."

Residents who find new graffiti can report it to St. Joseph Parks, Recreation and Civic Facilities or the St. Joseph Police Department.

"If you're out and about and you see something, you know, give us a call. Chances are we haven't heard about that one yet," Atkins said.