Friday May 25 08:27 PM EDT 

Businesses Hit By Acid Graffiti

The staff of Image Business Fixture arrived at work one day to find a milky white substance
smeared on the door windows, installed just six months prior. 

One of the employees thought it was spray paint, but Manager Beth Allen knew better. These
windows were ruined.

"Oh damn," Allen said she remembers thinking. "We just got brand new doors. I had seen it on some
other buildings. I knew it was the etching stuff."

Image Business Fixture was one of the most recent victims of a new graffiti fad. Since last October,
nearly 30 downtown business owners have discovered signatures etched into their storefront windows
with acid meant for decorating glass.

Business owners say replacing the glass can cost upwards of $800. Some windows, like those etched
at Albert's Uniforms, cost several thousand dollars. Taggers defaced three windows at the police
uniform store. 

"I was enraged," said Anthony Quon, the owner's son. "I knew about it before and was hoping it was
spray paint. I was trying to figure out how we were going to take care of it."

Fortunately, the insurance covered the $2,500 cost, he said.

But deductibles can often be more than the cost of the glass. The bigger the glass, the more it
expensive it is to replace. Taggers go for bigger canvases -- a larger window allows for a bigger
signature and more visibility.

The high pedestrian traffic in the Gaslamp Quarter makes for a large audience.

The Downtown San Diego Partnership, an advocacy and support organization for downtown
businesses, is working with the city to create a municipal code regulating the sale of the glass etching
products. Spray paint already has similar restrictions.

Etch Bath, a glass dipping solution, and Armour Etch, a glass etching cream, are available at local craft
stores, such as Michael's. They are made of sulfuric acid, hydrofluoric acid or ammonium biflouride.

The Partnership wrote a letter early this month asking Michael's to lock up the products and prohibit
minors from purchasing them.

Michael's corporate office has not yet responded.

To some business owners, regulating such a potent chemical is only logical.

"We're talking about sulfuric acid here," said Allen. "They could squirt it in someone's eyes. This is
nasty stuff."

Although the acid graffiti has not been widespread throughout the city, San Diego police are trying to
nip the problem before it gets out of hand.

The first known instance of acid graffiti took place in 1999 in Seattle during demonstrations of the
World Trade Organization (news - web sites) meeting, and has spread throughout California and even
to New York.

San Diego police say the tagging is not necessarily the work of gangs. In San Diego, it reportedly
started with one person, but police have found different signatures since then.

"They're tagging crews or little groups of misguided artists," Detective Jeff Biletnikoff said. "They start
doing it when they're teenagers and they just can't stop. They mis-express themselves by plastering this
crap all over everything."

Biletnikoff suggested the city regulate the sale of the glass etching products.

The San Diego City Council is expected to consider a municipal code with such regulations sometime
this summer.

Los Angeles police have recommended action by the Legislature to place statewide restrictions on the
sale of acid-etching materials to minors.

"If anything needs to be restricted, this stuff should have been," Biletnikoff said. "There's no way these
kids should be able to get it over the counter."

Until a law passes, storeowners are almost helpless when it comes to fending off the acid graffiti.

Albert's Uniforms was first attacked about four months ago, but the owners caught it early enough and
washed it off before much damage was caused. But the taggers returned in April and caused
permanent damage. Other taggers even crossed out the etching with spray paint.

The Downtown Partnership and police encourage business owners to install a Teflon coating that
protects the windows from the etching. But the acid does damage the coating, which the owners must
then replace.

Some cities have started installing security cameras.

Police believe they know who the taggers are because of their signatures. They don't disclose their
names to avoid adding to the notoriety they seek.