Some say a tagging surge can be deflated by enforcing laws, increasing fines or banning spray-can sales to kids.

By CHRISTINE BYERS and MIKE WISER, Rockford Register Star

ROCKFORD — As Donna Leon watched her garage doors close in her rear-view mirror, she thought, “Oh no. Not again.”

For the second time in six months, Leon’s white garage doors in the 1100 block of Kent Street had been covered in graffiti. Leon has called the city’s graffiti hot line four times since March 18. Late last week, the graffiti was still there.

Leon would like to see anti-graffiti suggestions like Ald. John Beck’s taken seriously. Beck wants to ban businesses from selling spray paint to minors. Leon also wants the city to adapt tougher punishments for those caught in the act.

March through May, just as the weather starts to warm up, is the busiest time for the city’s graffiti-removal team. The team is about a month behind in responding to calls, city spokesman John Strandin said.

What to do about graffiti has been a topic of debate at City Council meetings in recent weeks. Beck, R-12, and Ald. Victory Bell, D-5, say graffiti is of great concern to residents in their wards.

‘Wannabes’

The vandals who targeted Leon’s garage used black spray paint to draw a crown upside down with an X through it. A white fence across the street had similar drawings.

Leon believes it’s gang-related.

“I’ll be darned if they are going to chase me out of my neighborhood,” said Leon, who grew up in the southwest-side neighborhood where she lives with her parents, Stanislaus and Juanita, both in their late 70s. “It’s not going to happen. My dad works in the yard, and I want him to feel safe.

“It downgrades the neighborhood. Who will want to move here? People won’t want to live here. It makes the neighborhood look worse that it really is.”

Deputy Police Chief Theo Glover, who was in charge of the department’s gang unit until his promotion March 11, said graffiti is cyclical, same as the gang activity it is often associated with.

Based on the markings, police believe something is going on between the city’s Hispanic gangs: the Latin Kings on one side and the Latin Counts and Surrenos on the other.

“Right now what we have is a lot on the south and southwest sides,” Glover said. “It’s the younger kids, the ‘wannabes’ we call them, who do it. Not the older gang members — they don’t want the attention.”

Glover says a spike in graffiti doesn’t necessarily mean a spike in gang-related violence.

“A lot of these kids go to the same schools and nothing ever happens. When they’re out of school, one side might tag something, then another side sees it, so they tag over it because they see it as an insult, so it spreads.”

Police Community Services Officer Dale Anderson said graffiti is popping up in other parts of the city as well: a sign for attorney Pete Sullivan got tagged on the Jefferson Street bridge, and Carlson Elementary School on the northeast side “was hit pretty hard” a few months back.

“There’s really no good way to prevent it because it can happen so quick,” Anderson said. “We know most of it occurs during the night.”

Anderson said a quick response by property owners and neighbors is one way to cut down on the spread of graffiti, as well as neighbors watching out for each other.

Leon’s neighbor, Leo Medrano, told her he’d keep an eye out for any suspicious activity in her yard, but he decided not to paint his garage doors for fear that they will be vandalized.

What’s happening now

Jim Powers founded Rockford’s Graffiti Abatement Program in 1993 and coordinated it until his retirement in 1999. He is the deputy director of the nonprofit NoGraf Network (www.no graffiti.com), which links graffiti-fighters on six continents and in 21 countries.

Powers sees three parts to solving the graffiti problem: eradication, education and enforcement.

“Education includes going out to schools and having at-risk programs for junior high, and we’ve never had that in Rockford,” he said. “A big one that’s lacking is enforcement. You can take the graffiti off the wall, but you also need to take the vandals off the street every once in while, and that’s just not done.”

The most important catalyst for change is the mayor, Powers said.

When he was a state representative, Doug Scott sponsored a bill to allow cities to scrub graffiti off private buildings without the owner’s permission. The bill, requested by the city of Rockford, passed and became law in 1998.

“I’m happy overall with what we’re doing, and the fact that we remove it where a lot of areas don’t,” the mayor said. “We have stepped up patrols in those areas and we’re working through our gang unit to identify who’s doing it, but it can happen so quickly.”

The city has one full-time employee who works on removing graffiti for 10 months out of the year. People can call a hot line to report graffiti, and the city sends someone to take a picture to help determine what method should be used for removal.

The city spends about $5,000 a year on materials for removing graffiti and more than $60,000 on personnel, according to the Department of Public Works.

If caught, taggers are usually charged with vandalism or criminal damage to property. The charge can range from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class 4 felony, depending on the amount of property damage.

A Class 4 felony is punishable by up to three years in prison and carries a possible fine of up to $25,000. A Class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to 364 days in jail and carries a maximum possible fine of $2,500.

Leon believes the punishments need to be more of an opportunity for young vandals to learn a practical lesson.

“They should have to clean up the buildings they damage and clean the yards for three to six months, and the parents should be fined,” she said.

Scott said he would support stricter punishments, but because Rockford does not have home rule, changes to the law must come from the state.

“Maybe it’s a matter of asking the state for stricter punishments,” he said. “I’d urge residents to contact their state legislators about it, too.”

Bell said negotiations already have begun.

“We’re in the process of meeting to see what kind of legislation we can get the state to help us with to set and increase fines and make the individuals clean up the property they damaged with paint,” he said. “When they’re apprehended, we need to make examples of them.

“We need to be strict and get tough with them. It’s sad because it does a lot of destruction and causes lot of blight. That’s the way many people respond to gang-style activities.”

Last Monday, Beck told his fellow council members he wants the city to consider limiting the sale of spray cans in the city.

“Chicago banned it altogether,” he said. “I’m not saying that’s good or bad, I’m just saying that’s something we should look at and discuss.”

Beck, whose day job is development director for the Regional Access and Mobilization Project, said signs around RAMP’s downtown Water Street office were tagged recently, but the impetus for his resolution was to help police fight what may be a losing battle.

“I don’t want to hurt business, and any regulation will affect businesses that sell spray paint,” Beck said. “But I’d like the opportunity to debate it with everyone involved.”

The debate can start immediately, but action is likely to take some time. The Legislature must give permission to restrict paint sales. That means the city must send its request and hope it gets taken up while lawmakers are in session.

“The soonest might be next year,” Beck said. “Right now my resolution is referred to the (Codes and Regulations Committee) for debate.”

Meanwhile, Leon is considering spending $1,000 to put a surveillance camera on her garage.

“There’s a solution to every problem,” she said. “You just gotta find it.”

Contact: cbyers@registerstartower.com, 815-987-1354;

mwiser@registerstartower.com, 815-987-1377