More and more graffiti showing up in Houston

(12/31/05 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- If you think there's more graffiti in Houston, you're not imagining things. It's growing in large part because it's not being cleaned up, which attracts more vandals with spray paint.

It towers above freeways. It covers traffic signs. And it can appear overnight. A construction dumpster, for example, on property owned by a church was hit.

"It doesn't do much good for a neighborhood, for families, for kids," said Pastor Daniel Diaz.

It's also appearing on fences in well-maintained suburban neighborhoods. In Spring Branch, Victor Alvarez is a civic volunteer. He's a force to be reckoned with when it comes to graffiti.

"Now we're sending back the message that this is not your neighborhood," said Alvarez. "The community isn't going to accept your gangs in our area, so that's when we go and cover their graffiti.

It's called abatement, and city-wide, it hasn't kept pace with graffiti artists and gangs. Now the responsibility is being given to the neighborhood protection division, which is controlled by the Houston Police Department. That's something for which Councilwoman Toni Lawrence has pushed.

"It's only a natural progression, that we move that office to somebody who can have more input and you can have all your resources in one pot," said Lawrence.

Funding cleanups is another matter for a cash-strapped city budget. But for people whose neighborhoods, whose backyard fences, and whose apartment complexes are being marked by gangs and vandals, it's hard to come up with a bigger priority.

"It's scary and when you come by and see something like that, it just scares me to death," said northwest Houston homeowner Elsie Devine.

Depending on the amount of damage done, graffiti can be a felony crime and is eligible for a $5,000 Crime Stoppers reward if you can provide police with information that results in a conviction.
(Copyright © 2005, KTRK-TV)

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