Educating youth on the effects of graffiti

Combating graffiti takes a community effort, including, law enforcement, clean-up efforts and anti-graffiti education. Educating elementary school children can be an effective way of wiping out graffiti. As part of their efforts to continue to abate graffiti in San Antonio, the City’s Housing and Neighborhood Services Department’s Graffiti Abatement Program will donate two copies of the book Graffiti in Tahiti by Victoria Wilson-Merritt for each of the 24 public libraries at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, June 16 at a news conference at the Central Library, 600 Soledad.

Graffiti in Tahiti is geared toward students in the first through fourth grades. It is the only children’s book that focuses on graffiti vandalism. It encourages children to become a part of the solution by participating in community service.

Graffiti tagging is a crime that continues to grow within the United States. The words and symbols defacing property often relay messages of gang related activities, drug activity and hatred. Not only are the symbols and signs scribbled across property and surfaces not appealing, but they’re costly. Each year, the U.S. spends more than $8 billion cleaning up graffiti.

As part of the news conference, the Housing and Neighborhood Services Department will also discuss the upcoming graffiti workshop that will take place on Saturday, June 28 at the Carver Community Cultural Center, 226 N. Hackberry. The workshop is free and open to public and features the author of Graffiti in Tahiti, a nationally known expert in the field of graffiti, Victoria Wilson-Merritt. Reservation deadline is June 20. For more information, call Lisa McKenzie at (210) 207-5430 or by email at lisa.mckenzie@sanantonio.gov.