The Uptown neighborhood has dealt with graffiti for years, but never anything like the 25-foot tag in red lettering that read "BTM" and "3AK" sprawled on the walls of Counterbalance Park.
The tagging was first seen Feb. 9, and believed to have occurred before midnight, said Uptown Alliance member and resident, John Gessner. The taggers allegedly used fire extinguishers to paint the shaky lettering up the walls-a technique often used on the East Coast, but not as common yet here.
"We're having huge problems we never had before," Gessner said. "This was a big deal; this is a whole new level of tagging."
As one of the first residents to organize paint-outs and anti-graffiti campaigns, Gessner said the incident is a sign the neighborhood has to step up its efforts again.
"When you got a problem in your neighborhood, knock on your neighbors' doors. We have to let other people in the neighborhood know," Gessner said. "Let's get together and see what we can do. I know how to get resources from the city. We've done that really well in Uptown for many years and it's time to do it again."
Seattle Public Utilities anti-graffiti program coordinator Daniel Sims said BTM is one of the frequent taggers in Seattle. The use of fire extinguishers is pretty new to the city, but Sims said BTM has done something similar to another structures in the U-District.
Tagging can be reported to the graffiti hotline, 206-684-7587. On public property tags are typically removed within 10 days, but removal can take up to a few months for private property depending on the owner's priorities.
"My advice is to remove it as soon as possible," Sims said. "Owners have to be cognizant of leaving graffiti on their property and what that says to taggers. If it's left unaddressed it typically spreads."
Since the tagging, the ground lights at Counterbalance have been kept on throughout the night, and the Uptown Alliance held a meeting Feb. 18 to start organizing an effort to discourage tagging in Uptown. Uptown Alliance co-president Jean Sundborg plans to talk with the schools in the neighborhood about the incident and maybe organize student volunteer groups to help with paint-outs.
While the city will respond to graffiti on public property and enforce its removal by private property owners, neighbors can also contact Sims directly at 206-684-7790 to be provided with material for paint-outs. The Uptown Alliance will meet again to discuss tagging problems and the anti-graffiti campaign March 18 at 3 p.m., 160 Roy Street.[[In-content Ad]]
