Graffiti being evaluated

Fredericksburg,VA,USA

Date published: 11/24/2004

Train riders and those living near the Brooke train station may have caught sight of graffiti scrawled on a subdivision entrance, a tunnel, an abandoned building and state-maintained signs along Brooke Road.

It's the Star of David being stabbed by a pitchfork. Near the star and the pitchfork are other letters, such as "L" and "S," and the word "kill," all mixed together.

Government officials and the Stafford County Sheriff's Office don't know for sure just yet what this graffiti means. But they say it is under investigation.

"I think our policy on this kind of stuff is to get rid of it as soon as possible," said Kandy Hilliard, the supervisor whose district encompasses the Brooke area.

And that's just what they're trying to do, but not until Sgt. Steve Carey, an expert on gangs, could go out and get a look at the scrawls.

He said that at first glance many might assume it was an anti-Semitic type of vandalism. But what is commonly known as the Star of David or Jewish Star is also a six-pointed star used by various gangs.

"Well, fortunately and unfortunately, we're not sure what it is," Carey said. "Those symbols can represent a number of things."

Carey said the six-pointed star can stand for the principles of love, life, loyalty, unity, understanding and knowledge. It is used as a symbol by a gang called Folk Nation, which is based in Chicago.

But there are other symbols in the scrawls from a different gang, based in Los Angeles, known as the Crips.

Carey said that most likely these graffiti artists are not real members of those gangs, but members of less-organized neighborhood gangs trying to emulate larger, more troublesome, gangs from the West Coast and the Midwest.

"We don't know," he said. "We're still trying to analyze it. Most of the gangs we have around here are loosely organized and don't have much staying power."

It could be, he said, that the graffiti is not an indication of gang activity at all, but was done by kids out to have fun and not concerned with the destruction of private and public property.

But to be on the safe side, the Sheriff's Office will contact school officials to see if there is any indication of new gangs or more gang activity at the schools.

"With the kind of growth we've seen," Carey said, "it's hard to suppress this kind of stuff."

In the meantime, the graffiti is being removed. Carey painted over the scrawl on an abandoned building at the intersection of Brooke and Andrew Chapel roads. Carey said he couldn't remove the graffiti in the tunnel beneath the train tracks because the graffiti is painted on top of reflective material, and painting over it might reduce its reflective ability and make the tunnel hazardous to motorists.

Attempts are being made to remove the star and pitchfork on the entrance to the Meadowbrook Estates subdivision. And Carey said state officials have been notified about removing the scrawls on the state signs along Brooke Road.

"The key is to get it off," Carey said.

To reach JODI BIZAR: 374-5000, ext. 5627 jbizar@freelancestar.com

Date published: 11/24/2004