Council Considers Two New Anti-Graffiti Measures
(28 Aug 06) by Eric Gustafson, CNO Staff

After considering substantial and passionate testimony at a public hearing on Wednesday, August 21, a committee of the City Council voted to require all spray paint sold in Minneapolis to be kept either behind a counter in employee control or under lock and key. The proposed new ordinance is aimed at curtailing a gang graffiti problem that has skyrocketed in recent years, representing the most frequent complaint by residents to the City in 2006 according to 311 data.

The hearing occurred during a meeting of the Council’s Public Safety and Regulatory Services Committee. Speakers providing testimony included residents and neighborhood organizations frustrated with vandalism and gang activity, hardware store owners skeptical of the measure’s efficacy, and trade associations concerned about its burden on retailers. Eric Gustafson described Corcoran Neighborhood Organization’s graffiti prevention and abatement program, shared photos of vandalism in Corcoran, and talked about the negative impacts of graffiti on the perceptions of visitors and residents, including youth who are susceptible to the lure of gang activity. Representatives from East Phillips, Standish and Ericcson, and Powderhorn Park neighborhoods also testified.

A gentleman who owns a paint store on Minnehaha Avenue expressed skepticism common among retailers present at the hearing: that offenders can easily procure spray paint without purchasing it, and also use alternative tools such as wide-tipped markers. He noted that as a young man in the 1970s, he was involved in graffiti vandalism and easily found available spray paint in neighborhood garages left open.

Council Member Gary Schiff, who introduced the “lock up” ordinance, spoke at length about the gang and graffiti problems in Minneapolis, and described the many policy measures recently put into place in search of a viable solution. “These measures share one thing in common,” Schiff said, “they haven’t worked. We need new solutions.” He acknowledged that locking up spray paint won’t be a cure-all, and that more work is necessary, but called the spray paint ordinance an important step. Council Members voted in favor of the proposed ordinance, which will be subject to a vote of the full Council before becoming law.

Also under consideration at the August 21 meeting was a proposed ordinance change that would limit pedestrian traffic in city alleyways to that of adjoining residents and public service agencies. The change was introduced by Council Member Robert Lilligren. Like the previous matter, the policy is aimed at curtailing criminal activity, especially graffiti vandalism. The PS&RS committee chose to make no recommendation on this matter at the meeting, but rather forward the proposed ordinance to the full Council for a vote.