Graffiti Problem Grows In The Lower Valley

POSTED: 5:36 pm MST December 3, 2006

December 3, 2006 -- Gloria Paz has lived in the Lower Valley neighborhood for 38 years. She said the graffiti is as bad as she can remember, and it is a detriment to the community.

"You see all this graffiti, it gives your area a bad reputation," said Paz.

On the walls of homes, in alleyways, and on street signs, the graffiti is everywhere. She blames not enough lighting as the problem.

"In all the places that I see the graffiti, it's like little places that are not too lighted," Paz told KFOX.

She said as the neighborhood has aged, it has become more difficult to keep an eye on the streets.

"Most of the people who live here are senior citizens, it's not like we are very young and we could check on this and check on that, now it is maybe dark and we just stay inside the house," said Paz.

It is not just the walls of homes and alleyways. Just down the street from where Paz lives at Hidden Valley Park, even the trees have been tagged with graffiti.

Gilbert Ayala has held practice for his city team for six years at the park. He knows the importance of a graffiti-free place to play.

"We need to keeps these parks good for the kids, you know we do this for the kids not for ourselves but for the kids," said Ayala.

He says tougher punishment is the easiest way to eradicate the graffiti problem.

"They just get a slap on the hand, and that is it, there should be strict fines, maybe hold the parents accountable. Or just have the parents out here just to look at this, especially this community, it's a real nice community, but you see all this tagging everywhere," said Ayala.