Photos by clare jensen
AIYANA SQUALLY-JOHNS AND RUSSELL JOHNS JR. (front to back) paint over gang tags as part of Operation: Graffiti Cover-Up, which was co-sponsored by the Puyallup Tribe. (Right) Alecia Hadash and Angela Stoakes (left to right) help cover the signs of gangs in their neighborhood.
For the second year, Tacoma volunteers have made their mark on the city’s graffiti.
Neighborhood groups in partnership with Safe Streets, the city, local law enforcement and the Puyallup Tribe broke out their paintbrushes May 30 to cover up some of the city’s worst graffiti spots.
Volunteers gathered around Tacoma and Parkland and dispersed throughout the East Side, along Sixth Avenue and surrounding areas in the North End and South Tacoma.
This year 158 volunteers hit more than 50 sites.
Eastside groups, who cleaned up areas throughout the Puyallup Reservation, reportedly painted 50 sites, including 20 homes, three walls and a church.
Last year, 257 volunteers painted more than 240 locations.
Safe Streets volunteer Wanda Rochelle said there may have been a decrease in sites this year because of ongoing efforts that came out of the first Operation Graffiti Cover-Up in 2008. Safe Streets block groups have been working continually to help cover up graffiti when it hits in their neighborhood.
Stronger code enforcement through the city government has also prompted more property owners to take care of the vandalism on their own.
She noted organizers for the operation had a hard time finding sites to paint this year, while last year graffiti hits were rampant.
Bob Sheehan, an assistant chief with Tacoma Police Department, noted that keeping up on the graffiti issue sends a strong message to the perpetrators.
“Graffiti is a symptom of a much bigger problem – we have a problem with gangs,” he said to the group of volunteers at the Portland Avenue Community Center May 30 before setting out to paint. “Getting graffiti covered as quickly as possible shows them (gang members) we’re not going to put up with them.
“As long as we stay on it, we’re going to be OK.”
The Puyallup Tribal Council helped sponsor this event by providing paintbrushes, trays and supplies for the volunteers. Tribal Housing’s Safety and Gang Prevention Program donated $250 to Safe Streets in planning for this event.
David Whited, grant writer for the Tribe and a community activist, noted how the tribal and city government working together over the years, along with the local community, has began to strengthen the area over time.
“Our reservation doesn’t have a fence around it,” he said. “If we’re going to make the community better, we have to work together.”
