Talk Story -- Stories about Hilo & The Big Island of Hawaii
“tag” is the most basic form of graffiti. Tags can contain subtle or
cryptic messages and contain the writers name or initials.
Most cities across the country consider graffiti to be a form of
vandalism. The costs for clean up can be high for business and city
municipalities, Hilo is no different.
Hilo
is now experiencing a rash of graffiti activity inconveniencing many
downtown merchants and residents near the beach parks. Throughout this
article you will see recent examples of graffiti from Hilo.
As the cost to clean and repaint areas hit by graffiti grow, many
citizens have gotten together in an attempt to problem solve and
minimize graffiti and its effects. The East Hawaii Cultural Center has
developed a program similar to those in other larger cities. They
provide a canvas “blank wall” for the artist. They encourage the
graffiti artist to use a mural style of art incorporating a theme tied
into events happening in Hilo.
Another idea being circulated by the Hilo Downtown Improvement
Association (DIA) is to provide a reward to those who help identify
those responsible for graffiti in areas where it is not appropriate and
costing business owners and citizen’s time and expense for its clean up.
The
Hawaii Police Department has also implemented a graffiti database to
build and enhance evidence for the prosecution of graffiti artist
suspects by linking tags to incidents of graffiti. I encourage those
who have additional ideas on how to handle the issue of graffiti in
Hilo to leave your ideas in the comment section at the end of this
article. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
I want to take this opportunity to recognize a special group of
individuals who have taken on the challenge of helping our community to
clean up graffiti. Goodwill Industries, the “Aina Keepers” are a group
of volunteers who, at no cost to the community, clean and paint over
graffiti. They have been a tremendous resource to both the police
department and community. I would also like to thank all those who have
donated paint, materials and time in helping to clean up graffiti.
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