Graffiti is on the rise in every facet of the world. The growing trend has gone from a carving your loved one's initials into a tree to carving a gang sign into the seat or window of the bus or train used for public transit. Has this growing trend become the normal day-to-day life that we all want to see?
From small to large systems, one thing is apparent: vandalism was everywhere. Whether a train station, the train itself, or buildings you pass by, it can be found everywhere. In some areas it's almost like it is thought of as the norm and just an accepted way of life.
If we don’t continue the fight, then it will grow and become more and more difficult to combat. The U.S. government and private companies spend several hundred million dollars a year combating the issue with some success, but more is needed. From graffiti removal, to sacrificial coatings, the war has been staged to keep America beautiful.
How many of us have seen the movie, “It’s a wonderful life?” There is a scene where Donna Reed throws a rock thru the window of the old house to make a wish. Sublimely this is excepted since it was in a movie, but in sheer reality, this proves the Broken Window Theory. The theory is based upon if you see something broken, like a window, then its OK to break the window next to it. Was Donna Reed a tagger? We’d all agree no, but wasn’t she? To put it in perspective, if a tagger sees another tag, then he or she thinks it is OK to put their tag. This does not mean it’s a gang tag, either. It could just be a scribble or alias that someone may use, but it is a tag and these tags grow exponentially out of control. It’s almost like a disease that just grows and grows unless you treat it from growing. This is where repair, cleaning or fixing is needed quickly.
How many times do we get gas in our cars and the pumps have been vandalized, used a restroom and see a tag, driving down the street and see light poles and walls defaced, or used a public elevator without seeing the doors vandalized. It’s a growing trend that is on the rise.
Graffiti abatement is the best course of action to help combat the issues at hand. The quicker the tag can be removed, the less likelihood of another tag happening. The real issue is getting more money and resources to fight this issue. More and more cities and agencies have adopted graffiti removal causes and added budgets, but these only fix the traditional issues that are seen. Traditional graffiti is spray painting, slap tags of stickers, or the use of markers. Most of these are removed with power washing or chemicals. The aggressive graffiti movement is to carve or etch their tags into hard surfaces that cause permanent damage. This includes elevator cabs, restroom stalls and mirrors, storefront glass, fuel pumps, train or bus station fixtures, and rolling stock surfaces. Since this type of graffiti is so difficult to combat, most business owners or transit authorities only know that refurbishing or replacing is the only way to combat this epidemic. This causes down time for repair or replacement and high costs to do so. Which in turn, everybody pays for.
New technologies to combat graffiti are here and continue to grow. The introduction of surface protection films for glass, stainless steel, mirrors and other hard surfaces is a low-cost way to combat the growing issues. The idea is to hide existing graffiti, or protect the surface from new graffiti penetrating the surface. Essentially a sacrificial removable film that is simply replaced when damaged. Most of the time these films are pre-cut so that replacing is made very easily. The less time to remove the damaged film and replace the better so that it is not witnessed, and less down time for your elevator, restroom, facility or rolling stock unit. This type of protection systems is growing in popularity due to the cost savings and time savings advantages they offer.
Jeffrey Green is CEO of Graffiti Shield Inc.
