BANGOR, Maine — Some people spoke in broad strokes while others were very detailed, but everyone present at Wednesday night’s Bangor City Council government operations committee meeting agreed that Bangor has a graffiti problem.
“Graffiti is very hard for us to police. It is a challenge,” said Bangor police Lt. Mark Hathaway. “It’s very difficult to catch them in the act. It most certainly is a manpower issue.”
City councilors, staff like City Manager Cathy Conlow, City Solicitor Norm Heitmann, Code Enforcement Officer Jeremy Martin and Public Works Director Dana Wardwell addressed the issue at a public meeting also attended by about 30 residents.
“We paid $4,800 in the second half of fiscal year 2012 and $1,800 so far in FY 2013 to clean or replace about 200 signs over the past year,” Wardwell told the five councilors present. “I’m estimating $10,000 to $15,000 a year is spent to clean up graffiti.”
The 95-minute meeting offered everything from complaints to potential remedies, penalties and even some alternatives to lessen graffiti vandalism, which has appeared on street signs, bridges, storefronts, mailboxes and the sides of buildings.
“It’s aggravating to me that people try to force this ‘art’ on our building,” said Nick Carter, a maintenance person at the Hammond Street Senior Center. “I don’t think we should settle for allowing our property to be defaced.”
Maria Mason, who is employed at the Rudman & Winchell law firm on Harlow Street, came to the podium to emphasize the difference between art and obscene graffiti, which is spray painted regularly on the walls of the alleys that the firm’s building sits between.
“Our customers shouldn’t have to see obscene language on our walls as they come into our office,” Mason said. “It takes a lot of time to clean up, and a lot of times, it’s back before the invoice comes for the last repainting job.”
Several people suggested Bangor take a page from Portland’s playbook for dealing with graffiti by establishing one or more public or common walls or structures which local “street” or graffiti artists could use to showcase their spray painting skills.
Meg Shorette, executive director of the nonprofit KahBang Arts festival, fellow KahBang organizer Alicia Champlin, Bangor resident and art enthusiast Alba Briggs and Nelo Pidgin urged councilors to establish a wall or mural.
“Let’s open up conversation and inform them of ways to do street art that’s less destructive,” Champlin said. “Instead of using a hammer to beat an idea over their heads, let’s use a paintbrush.”
Shorette talked about a 40-foot “tag wall” that was offered at this year’s KahBang festival which featured space for artists to paint.
“We were kind of worried about what we might get, but several of the designs were amazing and a lot of them painted over the objectionable things a few put on there,” Shorette said.
Other options and alternatives that were suggested included increased fines, jail time and much more creative punishments.
“I’m a real big fan of restorative justice,” said one Bangor resident. “I think forcing them to clean up their graffiti would mean a lot more and make more of an impression.”
In Portland, it’s against the law to apply graffiti or carry graffiti implements — the spray cans and markers used by people who “tag” public or private property.
The implement option was supported by Hathaway.
“I do like the idea of policing people and restricting or confiscating tools like paint cans when it’s obviously what they’re being used for,” he said. “I’m not sure increased fines would help, but that would be helpful.”
Heitmann said Bangor currently has no anti-graffiti ordinance, but does have a $20 fine for crude or vulgar drawings, and the option of a criminal mischief charge by police, which is a Class D offense involving jail time.
“I think what we’ll look at is trying to reduce the problem through creative penalties with our ordinance language and also try to be creative on providing an outlet for people who have some artistic ability, but don’t have a canvas large enough of their own to put it on,” Heitmann said.
Sam Lanham of Lanham and Blackwell law firm in Bangor also supported the idea of a public graffiti wall, despite his firm being victimized by graffiti on more than one occasion.
“I think there’s a need for our young people for a form of expression or a way to be recognized and noticed, while also respecting private and public property,” he said.
Councilor Charlie Longo, who was a prime backer for Wednesday’s meeting, said he hopes to have Heitmann draft some potential ordinance language and report back to the council committee in a month.
Funny, so many things taking place in today’s world, sounds a lot like the long gone Old people describing times during the Great Depression.
funny there is no young people to listen, so history is bound to repeat it’s self
Ermahgerd, PBR, you’re such a hipster.
I was really pleased the other week to discover that whoever is behind tagging “HERON” in spraypaint has transitioned to some rather impressive wheatpaste works (at least three in Bangor).
Which isn’t perfect, according to some folks, but at least it moves his works from semi-permanent ‘defacement’ to something more like littering (since one can clean it off with soap and water, instead of turpentine, if one doesn’t care for it).
A policing issue for catching people in the act, BUT you want to make it against the law to apply graffiti or carry graffiti implements…doesn’t that require the Police too? Either way you are going to have to police something, you can’t police property being destroyed but you want to police carrying a spray can???
Some people consider grafitti art. I consider it vandalism, especially because they are using a “canvas” not their own. A mural is art, contrary to the opinion of our Governor. I have seen murals done on walls in Portland and Boston, and they are a much better outlet for those with artistic inclinations. Besides, tagging also is a way for gangs to mark “their” territory, and it has no place in a city or town. I like the idea of making taggers responsible for cleaning up their own works.
contrary to our Governors opinion. propaganda murals have no place in public owned buildings.
Uh, don’t you mean in support of his opinion? And don’t tell me that there is not right wing propaganda that is put out as art to the rest of us. And the public owned buildings do not just belong to one side or the other. They belong to All the citizens of Maine. If you are perchance referring to the Labor mural removed from the Dept of Labor building, allegedly after an anonymous fax complaining about it, I think it belongs in the State Museum in Augusta where it can be more widely viewed.
I don’t see it as museum quality art, but point well taken and that is where it should be viewed.. I take it you don’t want a mural of the last supper to take it’s place at the labor department, do you?..
I also really like that last idea, where you have to remove it and pay X fine, or not remove it (if you refuse or if you can’t) and pay X+Y fine.
95% of what has been painted in town fits one of these catagories- vulgar, drug related, gang-wannabee with no artistic value. Call it what it is City Council, a crime and stop with the frustrated artists time wasting conversations. Repeatedly, studies have shown that if vandalism of this type is consistently and promptly cleaned up the crime stops being commited because the perpatrators don’t get the satisfaction they derive from seeing their work or prehaps better- seeing their destruction of others property.
Ditto what you wrote!!!
You hit one point right on the head!
Much of this is NOT simple grafitti, but either gang-related, or gang-wannabee’s.
In either event, it’s far more about “tagging” (claiming) one’s “territory” than otherwise, and just one more indicatation of the “seediness” downtown Bangor’s falling into.
My school teacher daughter from Central Florida was blown away by all the “tags” when visiting us this summer. Certainly NOT the Bangor she, or we, grew up in!
I suppor the “less carrot… more stick” comment by another here.
I can’t prove a Causal Relationship between all this and the Methadone Clinics nor Baldacci’s “Sancturary State Executive Order”; but they sure share a Positive Correlation in actions.
I agree. I have a tendency to want to put the “tags”, methadone clinics, bath salts, other vandalism, other drug related crime all in the same basket. Different manifestations of the same thing.
The cops said they can’t catch ’em and even if they do, there is currently no “stick” to beat their fingers with. Make it a crime with stiffer penalties, and see if we can’t shame some of the folks getting public assistance to give a little public assistance and help clean up these messes, under the guidance of public works. I wonder what the response would be if people hanging out in the parks and around the soup kitchens were asked if they’d like to help with a public project? It’s too bad private business has to pay for all the repairs to their buildings, then be asked to support – and in the case of attorneys, defend – those that deface them.
Oh, so you don’t feel like helping? “NO SOUP FOR YOU!”
please don’t hurt their feelings if you catch them.. I’m very sure they are just misunderstood.. we must work with kids to find out why they do this.. maybe a tag show where the winner gets a scholarship to art school.. There must be some marketing companies that can use good artist…
Pretty cool thinking… I agree, let’s give them that chance. On a joking side, I think when people are caught stealing they should win a scholarship to study being an accountant or maybe get a job with the IRS. he he he. I couldn’t resist…
I like it. (-;
Both sides have really good points on this one. I like the idea of a dedicated “tag wall.” One wall for example could be the west bound 395 on ramp from Main St. You know, the one with the giant uterus cracked in it? Not sure what I mean? Just go check it out. It would be nice to cover that up with some thing.
Seems to me it’s simply an unheeded stakeholders’ rebellion!
A wall area mural really makes no difference. The problem is vandals… when the whole point is anti-authority why would a vandal succumb to authority by using an authority sanctioned “wall” forgoing alleyways and dumpsters?
It’s exactly the wrong approach, the kind of counterproductive remedy you’d expect from city councilors. Instead of diverting and concentrating graffiti in one location, a tag wall will just be a training ground for even more vandals so they can spread their graffiti to even more locations.
What is needed from the city councilors is less carrot and more stick.
The proof is in the pudding. It has worked in other locals!
Where? When? Who do I contact to confirm what you say?
As an example, the city of Gainesville, Florida has over a mile of concrete wall on Archer Rd. (a major highway in the city) where graffiti is not only allowed, but encouraged.
I’ve seen it several times and have never seen anything crude or vulgar painted on it.
While I’ll admit that I’ve seen no hard data (# of graffiti incidents prior to the use of the wall vs. # of graffiti incidents now that the wall has been established, and I would doubt that that data has ever been collected) it would make sense that if are using that wall for their “art” they’re not painting other areas of the city.
One can only afford so much paint! :-)
My point is that the same people who spray paint “tags” on my building are not going to do “art” on a “wall”. And vice versa.
Certainly the 25 year old I chased off one night when he was spray paining a neighbors trash cans he had left out in a residential neighborhood won’t be running across town to the mural “wall” to do his tag.
{Shrug} Hey, you asked where and I told you.
You can choose to believe it or not, just as you can choose to continue to believe your own preconceived opinions or not. It’s up to you. You asked and I told you. The rest is up to you.
{Shrug} You identified a wall in Jacksonville Florida with no data except they have a wall. Gosh, Thanks for the help.
Sure.. anytime. Originally you asked for examples of where this had possibly worked and I responded. If you really want to know you’ll now do the legwork and not depend on someone else to do it for you.
But if you call anyone in Jacksonville asking for some information so you can make an informed opinion you’re probably going to be disappointed. I said it was in Gainesville.
The poster above claimed examples. It was only fair to ask where….. when and who. You gave me a where…. I said thank you.
Take a trip down Broadway in Bangor from John Bapst to past the park. Take a look at every one of the street signs in between.
Art? I think not.
Got internet? Know how to use Google? Do some research. It’s so easy even I can do it but you can do it yourself.
People used to say the same thing about skateboarders and skateparks. In the end, yes, there are still skaetboarders cruising all around downtown, but there are less and they aren’t making a playground out of the entire downtown – if there is a good place to go more folks than you might expect will use it.
My thought is that if they do the crime, they do the time. It’d be a $250 fine. If they refuse to clean it up, it’s a $250 plus a month in jail. I’m real sick and tired of seeing these vandals get away with defacing our city. Something has to be done to be strict on these “artists”.
IMO it’s mainly children that are producing all this grafitti. Where are the parents? Why aren’t parents responsible for their children any more? Take a chill pill people. These grafitti artists are your neighbors children, your children. More laws, more police? I don’t think that’s the answer people. Take responsiblitity.
How dare you suggest that adults be responsible for their ill mannered punks?
Believe it or not, graffiti is Bangor’s No. 1 Problem.
In New York they say, “When you see graffiti, you know you have already lost the neighborhood.”
Graffiti is doubly dangerous in a state which relies on tourism. This makes us look like the South Bronx.
It’s a symptom of a collapsing civilization, an expression of the lawlessness and anarchy that pervades all aspect of society.
Far from preventing it, the weak-minded promote it with “tag walls.”
Be strong enough to prevent it with the strictest laws in the nation, including jail time, then enforce the law.
Once this is done, put young people on notice by posting the new law where young people congregate.
Form a citizen’s volunteer organization authorized by law to remove graffiti on sight, and put the jobless to work down at the Job Center by handing out the tools to get the job done.
Half-hearted measures will be worse than no measures at all.
And remember, graffiti is not “art.” It is a dagger aimed at the heart of our civilization.
Great idea, let’s fill the jails with even more non-violent offenders where they can learn how to be real criminals. Let’s tie up the courts with these cases instead of focusing on domestic violence or other real crimes. Give me a break…
Most of the crap I see is not art. “666” ,swastika’s, penis outlines, gang signs, etc. It is criminal mischief. Maybe we should have the inmates out painting over this crap. If you let it grow and don’t take steps to remove it people get the signal this is an OK thing to do. If you want to have an artists wall some place that is great as long at the “art” is tasteful. Painting on business signs, peoples vehicles, mailboxes, homes, public infrastructure is a crime and should be treated as such. If you like it so much paint on your own house but leave mine alone.
So the Bangor council wants to make the city look like Detriot. LOL.. arrest the people who distroy public property
This logic works out great. If I keep going down to the Library and smoke pot, the city will then designate a place I can illegally do something in a “Safe” zone without fear of prosecution. Light-em up.
Oh come on now we all know its just the young people expressing themselves said one liberal to another. Why does everything have to be sugar coated? It is vandalisim to private property by thugs that have nothing better to do. And if I am not mistaken it is also linked to gangs their way of making a statement. So call it what it is PLEASE. If you think they should be given a place to trash donate your own house/garage whatever.
So the city council are telling vandals its a 20 dollar fine.LOL!!!
Hey city council, City hall has flat empty walls, so does hollywood slots and the new arena. Or does your plan only OK spray painting private property..