Albany shops 'tagged' with acid graffiti

Etched marks permanently damage windows


A number of New Scotland Avenue storefronts have been damaged by "acid etched" graffiti. (Photo: Derek McKendree / WNYT)
ALBANY, Aug. 23
By ABIGAIL BLECK

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Traditional spray paint graffiti can be painted over or sometimes even removed. But "acid etching" permanently scars windows.

Dozens of businesses along New Scotland Avenue have fallen victim to this new vandalism trend.

The cost to replace a window marked by etched glass graffiti artists can be $500 to $1,000.

“I don't have the capital to be pouring into my window twice a year,” said Tanjia Maynard, who owns a floral shop on New Scotland Avenue.

Cleaning up after vandals used to be just a nuisance. Now Albany graffiti artists are permanently defacing shop windows with a mixture of white shoe polish and acid. The chemical reaction literally eats away at the glass giving it a frosted appearance. The only way to be rid of it is to replace the pane entirely.

“It's difficult as a small business owner to find the money to [replace a window], pay employees, have fresh product and running a business,” Maynard said.

Over the years the city's graffiti busting crews have become experts at paint removal -- free of charge. But etching becomes the responsibility of the window owner.

“We try and make the place look nice, and that's destructive,” said Joe Ritmo, owner of Ritmo's Hair Salon.

The effects of acid etching can be stopped or slowed down if the substance is cleaned off soon after application with a water and baking soda paste.

But it has to be done immediately and most of this vandalism is occurring on weekend nights