graffiti attack on fairy godmother

After a spray-paint attack at her corner spurred her to anti-graffiti action, an activist finds herself a target.

By Steve Brandt, Star Tribune

Last update: July 11, 2007 – 9:44 PM


Is this any way to treat a fairy godmother?

Terre Thomas, who owns the Fairy Godmother store in the King Field neighborhood of Minneapolis, and styles herself as one, got a rude surprise Tuesday morning.

A door and a window on her gaily painted store at W. 38th Street and Grand Avenue S. not only were tagged by graffiti Monday night, but the words also mentioned her by name.

Thomas and Fifth Precinct Inspector Kris Arneson say they suspect that it was prompted by the anti-graffiti stand that Thomas took in her community paper.

"I think it was directly aimed at Terre," Arneson said Wednesday. Thomas has been an anti-graffiti activist since the area around her store was tagged this spring. She kept graffiti-removal spray in her car trunk, along with rubber gloves, a sponge and rags. As she drove around her neighborhood, she'd remove graffiti.

Writing in the Southwest Journal this month, Thomas described her mission of eradication as "surprisingly empowering and fun." She urged others to adopt her habit and to call 311 to report attacks.

"That article must have set somebody off," Thomas concluded. One of the tags was unprintable and mentioned her by name. The other read, 'Die yuppie sc' -- as if the vandals had run out of paint" while writing "scum."

Thomas, 48, bridled at that message. "I'm neither young nor upwardly mobile," she said.

Still, she considers herself fortunate: Removing paint from the glass was relatively easy. And her attacker didn't go after the neighborhood-financed pastoral mural that covers her 38th Street frontage.

Moreover, police were able to lift fingerprints from the window and the spray can that her attacker left behind. The city recently offered a $500 reward to citizens whose report of an in-progress graffiti attack leads to a conviction. Arneson is hoping that the reward will produce tips in cases like the attack on Thomas. The deadline for removing graffiti after city notification also recently was cut from 10 to seven days.

Although graffiti is common in the city, another nearby businesswoman said she was startled to see the one at Fairy Godmother mention Thomas by name.

"I think it's really vindictive," said Niki Stavrou, who runs a cafe kitty-corner from Thomas.

So does Thomas plan to keep up her anti-graffiti campaign? "Oh, yeah," she said.


Steve Brandt • 612-673-4438 • sbrandt@startribune.com