Walking to the corner store to buy some milk on the morning of August 6, I was stopped cold by the following headline:
Unfortunately, what I saw was a page out of the “Daily Gangsta.” Graffiti is the medium through which a gang asserts its dominance and sends messages to other gangs and their own. It’s like a news flash for those who know the code: “We own this street corner.”
I liken it to dogs’ marking their territory. When a dog sniffs at a corner signpost or traffic light and then marks it with urine, it’s getting information about who’s been there and signaling its own presence. Yet another incarnation of the news: the Doggie Daily. Unfortunately, I later discovered that the Crip story was continued on page 2:
According to one local expert, “gang graffiti (or what is called “tagging”) is done by younger gang members at the instruction of older members. So if a kid is told to go mark up a territory he may get “more kudos” based on the job he/she does. These taskings to younger gang members get them more involved in the gang. Usually when an area sees a spike in this type of tagging, it means that there is gang “recruiting” going on in the neighborhood. Unfortunate for all of us.”
Not all graffiti is gang graffiti. Other sources are taggers and tag krews who consider “tagging” an expression of identity and creativity. As a general rule, gang graffiti is minimalist and symbolic. The color of the paint carries a message. Blue is the Crip’s color. Red is for Bloods, also known as Piru. The X through the letter P in the first photo conveys disrespect for the Piru set. A set is a subgroup of a gang. The most infamous subset of the Crips in Lynn is the Avenue King Crips.
For more information on gangs, try the following websites:
Stacey
August 10, 2009
where was this? scary and sad for the property owners they have to deal with this art work.
Seth
August 10, 2009
I also feel bad for the property owners, because the best way to combat it and prevent more is to get rid of it ASAP. That’s not easy to do. Not everyone has a sandblaster, and square patches of paint only emphasize that something has been covered. When a tag is discovered inside my school, it’s gone within a minute or two. The staff have this spray that seems to erase anything it touches. I can’t imagine it’s good for you.
lynnsideedition
August 12, 2009
Where can we get this spray?
Stacey
August 10, 2009
I think you can call the city and they take it off for you. I see these vans from time to time and I think the sole purpose is to remove the markings from the vandlism.
Damn shame since it looks like a nice fence too
lynnsideedition
August 11, 2009
To the credit of the business owners on whose brick wall the graffiti appeared, they have made an attempt to erase it. I called the city’s graffiti hotline as soon as I could, and I notified the police department’s gang unit. So far no one has called back and the graffiti remains highly visible. Although I have had good experiences with the city responding to other quality of life issues in the past; however, they don’t seem to realize that their timely response would help put me, the taxpayer, at ease even if they can’t do anything about it right away.
lynnsideedition
August 12, 2009
On the same day I noticed the graffiti, this headline appeared in the Lynn Item: “Lynn Police Investigating Midday Shooting.” http://www.itemlive.com/articles/2009/08/08/news/news06.txt
Coincidence?
Seth
August 14, 2009
Well, the school year begins soon for teachers and staff. I’ll ask about this spray. They’ve used it to successfully remove tags from painted cinder-block walls, but it has an awful smell.
lynnsideedition
August 15, 2009
Good news! Yesterday morning, the County Sheriff’s graffiti task force came and sandblasted the wall clean. It took them a week. Satisfactory turnaround time in my opinion. Once again, that graffiti hotline is 781-477-7099 Prompt # 8. Or go to http://www.ci.lynn.ma.us/citydepartments_publicworks.shtml, but you’ll have to scroll down a ways.