Handling Graffiti Around The Neighborhood

The other day we noticed some partially-painted over “26”s on the Dorchester bridge mural, as well as on a building on the nearby corner of E 16th Street and Dorchester Road.

It seemed pretty clear that such utilitarian tagging was more of a turf-claiming effort than an artistic one, so we got in touch with the 70th Precinct‘s Commanding Officer, Inspector Eric Rodriguez.

Inspector Rodriguez says it’s not unusual to see a flare-up in graffiti during the Fall, because often kids attending new schools are simply trying to fit in or impress their peers.

Though he doesn’t suspect there’s any serious gang activity in the works with these tags, he says neighbors should call the precinct at 718-851-5511 if they spot new graffiti–especially on their homes–to be connected with a graffiti removal program.