A Growing Graffiti Problem in Garden City

June 18, 2007 03:10 PM PDT

By Megan Strader

Spray painted dumpsters aren't hard to spot anymore in Garden City. And City Commissioner David Crase is tired of seeing it.

"There's one area in the north part of town where a lady had a nice vinyl fence and I've heard she's had to replace it three times because of graffiti."

Because of that, Crase and other city commissioners have put together a potential new ordinance that would require stores to keep spray paint in well supervised areas or under lock and key so underaged kids can't steal it.

Crase explains, "Hopefully if we can keep it out of their hands...make it it less accessible for the graffiti, it will help."

Just to put into perspective how big of a problem this is for Garden City, according to the police blotter, there have been more than 23 cases, in just a little more than a week, of graffiti in the city. But store owners who sell spray pain say this new ordinance isn't the solution to the problem.


Von Hunn runs a hardware store in Garden City and wasn't happy when he heard about the ordinance. "I think if you lock that stuff up and if mom and dad or grandma and grandpa have got spray paint in the garage kids are gonna still get spray paint."

Hunn says it can cost stores a lot to have to put in locking cases and doesn't want to see the wrong people get punished. "They continue to try and police this issue by making the retail businesses responsible for other peoples bad behavior."

Commissioners say they don't want people to feel that way. But they do want the city to look nice and say it's sad that is has to come to this.

"It's sad that we have a group of people in our community that has no respect for other people's property."