War against graffiti wages on in Edmonds

Published 3:11 pm Friday, January 18, 2008

The past seven days have marked a busy time in the ongoing fight between those who make graffiti in Edmonds and those who hate it.

The city council unanimously approved tougher anti-graffiti laws Jan. 15, promising police increased enforcement tools, and the city’s planning department a system of fines officials called a “hammer” to punish property owners who don’t clean up.

“I think this does a nice job of balancing the community’s desire to take graffiti seriously while at the same time not re-victimizing the victims,” said councilmember Deanna Dawson. “It allows us to take this crime seriously.”

Days before the vote, however, taggers hammered home a message of their own: At least four cars, and well over a dozen buildings and street signs were hit in Edmonds Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 12 and 13.

The fight rages on.

With the new ordinance, city police will now be able to charge suspects with possession of graffiti implements with intent.

For instance, instead of having to catch suspects in the act, police would now be able to charge a suspect caught with a can of spray paint underneath a bridge at midnight – even before any vandalism occurred, city attorney Bio Park said.

The new ordinance also creates a system of fines for property owners who fail to clean up graffiti on their property. A maximum fine is $250, and the minimum fine is $25. Only property owners who refuse city demands to clean up will get fined.

Still, the abatement fines are controversial. Property owners say the city is holding innocent victims of vandalism twice accountable.

Karen Wiggins lives downtown and owns a downtown business building. Twice in the past 18 months, taggers have hit Wiggin’s business property. Both times, she has cleaned it up and notified police before the city had to get involved. But, by threatening fines, the city goes too far, she said.

“I know graffiti is a problem, and it is a problem that property owners should take care of,” Wiggins said. “But we don’t need to make (property owners) victims again. And that is what this does.”

The fines are necessary, officials said. One the primary tools in the fight against graffiti is quick removal of any that shows up, experts insist.

In Edmonds, a system of fines can insure the clean ups happen, development director Duane Bowman said. Most property owners clean graffiti up immediately, but some stall. The fines will help prevent that, he said.

“When property owners balk, (now) I can turn to the ordinance, and it becomes my hammer,” he said. “It lays out procedures so that if somebody wants to balk, we can turn it into a civil matter.”

The fines will hardly ever be used, he said.

Sometimes considered a precursor to larger and scarier crime, graffiti in Edmonds has drawn increased attention since the summer, when an earlier version of the Jan. 15 ordinance was initially proposed.

Changes between the summer and the final ordinance were minor, Park said. The final ordinance removed limitations on the sale of graffiti implements, added flexibility in assessing fines, and added time for the clean up process for property owners.

Reporter Chris Fyall: 425-673-6525 or cfyall@heraldnet.com.