(BY MATT GARBER) Recently, the Fairview section of town was hit by a rash of graffiti. Sometime during the night, according to neighbors, vandals struck a number of Fairview’s local businesses. Some of the graffiti had what appeared to be gang-style markings. Other buildings near downtown were nailed sometime in the past month or so also.
Graffiti is a scourge on a community. It demonstrates disdain for others’ property, it can symbolize gang activity (though not always – according to police and local officials, some markings may be done by kids; others may be “wannabes” as opposed to connected with a real gang.) It’s also a difficult crime to catch and prosecute. One of the best ways to battle it is for property owners, city staff (for public areas), and/or volunteers to continue to paint over the “tagged” areas quickly. It can be a battle of endurance — and the citizens and property owners in Altoona must win.
I have to give a lot of credit to some business owners in Fairview who moved quickly to paint over (or grind off) the vandalism.
Officials at City Hall can provide property owners with information on materials to remove graffiti. City Council has discussed the idea of a volunteer team to combat this problem. Is anyone interested in this?
Have you encountered this in your neighborhood? How has it been handled? Do you have any other ideas?
ILoveAltoona.com has produced the Blair County Family Fun Card. 
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Your ignorance shows when using blanket statements like “Graffiti is a scourge on a community”. Vandalism of any variety is an eyesore and worth every bit of the disdain you show for it. However, the term “graffiti” is no longer simply applied to an act of vandalism as it has migrated into a very serious and accepted artform when applied to the proper venues. I have been a graffiti artist for 27 years and don’t intend to stop painting anytime soon. Your haphazard use of the word in reference to the vandalism that these kids are doing is not only an insult to those who have worked to develop their skills, but a detractor to future business for myself and others.
That’s really a headache problem.
In my hometown, graffiti is everywhere, but nobody will handle it, except the property owner, and most of the time, the owner has no way to prevent such problems happen again.
Volunteer to combat the problem, impossible!
who says its a problem not all ppl see it as vandalism pal
its a art as long as its done right!
To those people who dont know a thingGraffiti….. Graffiti is not all gang related…. when you see things like words and things with like 3 letters, THEY ARE CREWS….. THEY ARE NOT GANGS AND THOSE WHO THINK THEY ARE ARE COMPLETE FOOLS!!!!!!!!!!! I guess you should give places for these CREWS to draw at…. Why dont you worrie about getting the drug rehabs and drug dealers out of altoona before you worrie about a some CREWS of kids drawing on stuff. If there is no cuss words all i can say is HAVE AT IT….. PAINT IT UP ALL YOU CREWS. Dont hit cars and houses but have fun and have at it. I would sooner see that than a kid out drinking or doing drugs… ART IS A FORM OF LIFE SO LIVE YOUR LIFE AND DON’T LET ANYONE TAKE YOUR DREAM AWAY…….
I noticed some face art on the big pilon that holds the signs going into town from the Logan Town Center. Why hasn’t Altoona cleaned that up. I don’t know who it is or what it means, but does it really belong there? I have leaved here all my life and this art is getting worse and unwanted. Clean up time!
way to stick it too um gone… you know what goes down…
i don’t really understand why people are so up in arms about such a minor incident to be honest. Perhaps if the city of Altoona did something better with their funds than put Sesame Street lightpoles in the ever dying downtown they wouldn’t have these kids making a mess with otherwise idle hands. It amuses me to no end that the first thing that comes to mind is “Gang” whenever someone scribbles on a wall in this place. This city’s only “gang problem” is the fear campaign being run by the city council and the ever-aging population it caters to. If it weren’t for the rehab programs that Altoona prostituted itself to a few years back, there wouldn’t be the very few actual gang members in the town that there are now.
Thanks to the city council sensationalizing these few misguided individuals, the schools made unnecessary rules, the cops got more funding(imagine that) and the kids became more aware of the things going on outside this place that would piss off their parents. Now you have little 12-15 year olds running around town scribbling gang signs all over the place and not even knowing what they mean.
Since I moved here (from an ACTUAL city) in 1991, I have seen numerous businesses that were directed toward the youth of this area forced out of business or outright shut down by the city. has anyone ever stopped to think that if there were something constructive for the young people in Altoona to do that they might actually find their better way into functioning society instead of growing up to be the troublemakers their parent became? In all of my travels I have never seen a town like Altoona. A city-sized population only for the amount of elderly and special programs recipients is not city by any other means. Welfare here is not only passed on from family to family, but the “city” itself is in constant pursuit of federal or state assistance.
It is shameful that a society that doesn’t develop its youth as a collective curses these same youth when they go out to find something to do with themselves.
You brought it on yourselves, Altoona. Its up to you to either fix it or deal with what it promises to become.
@ Gone.
You failed to take notice that the writer above wasn’t trash talking graffiti as an art at all. In the opening, he’s specifically talking about vandalism against people’s businesses: not all graffiti.
You wouldn’t like to wake up to see the side of your house decorated with some unwanted picture or design on it, would you? That’s vandalism.
Like you said and were 100% correct about: “WHEN APPLIED TO PROPER VENUES” graffiti is good and is a widely accepted form of art, but it’s another story when it destroys somebody’s business.
agreed, but it doesn’t change the second point. Not that it will hinder all of the kids out there making a mess, but our local government misdirects its finances in revolting ways. Its a mentality that seems to be held in more places than the people elected to manage our finances too. It is pretty sad when kids are considered criminals and miscreants prior to their becoming interested in anything of the sort. have you checked the local school policy books? It’s ridiculous. There is precious little a kid can do to express him/herself without being penalized for it somehow. It’s astonishing to think that a child, not matter what their scholastic performance, can be sent home for wearing a certain shirt or coloring their hair.
If central PA would take a more positive stance toward its youth, maybe the youth wouldn’t look elsewhere for inspiration. I suggest we fire the “status quo” of local politics by way of voting in more forward thinking people. These kids aren’t criminals out of the womb. They can be inspired and encouraged like any other young mind. I do my best to do my part as they stop by the wall that I paint during the sunnier seasons of the year and a few of them may have learned a thing or two, but their are so many other avenues that can be opened both economically and culturally if the people of Altoona would stand up and make it happen.
please pardon the multiple typos, misspellings and grammatical errors in the above statement. I can’t go back and edit them out. I think my point has been made though.
This is completly rediclious, why do you give credit to the people who cover our work. We work hard to go out at the right time and get all of our supplies. I know im not a big name yet in Altoona but im starting to get my work out there. Oh btw, Gone84 haha I saw the new pieces, dude there sick I go down to that spot sometimes. But anyways to all taggers out there WAFAO. We Are Free Artists Outside!!!
Your lil vandal,
ACTION
I give credit to those who cover the work done to private property. When I awoke this morning I found crew tags on my garage. Tell me how that piece of disrespect is honorable art? If you want to tag, do it with a little respect. When it’s done to private property it is vandalism; Not art.
Graffiti is a wonderful form of art, rebellion, and free state of mind. True Graffiti is done with respect.,and should be treated with respect, vandalism deserves no respect.
And. Don’t be dumb enough to boast about where you’ve been tagging on a blog requesting community action. Yeah. You want cred and praise for your work right? So never forget that blog sites catch your IP address, which eventually leads to your ISP provider account, which leads to admission of an act of vandalism and prosecution.
Have half a brain,
TWIG
Thanks everyone for covering up all the s*** graffiti,
in this dunp town. Now we have a fresh start on
all the brand new white walls. Like Nitro say’s, Learn
on paper before you paint. Operation Out Town was
a great ideia. Now it leaves us with a fresh start. Oh yeah
by the way, the the f****** retard on the news, and from
the paper… IM NOT A F****** DRUG DEALER!!!! Its
so funny how city hall has no idea what there talking about
when it comes to graffiti. Keep tagging.
GUNE <———
“Graffiti is a wonderful form of art, rebellion, and free state of mind. True Graffiti is done with respect.,and should be treated with respect, vandalism deserves no respect. ”
Nothing rings more true than this statement. The whole thing the youngers need to know before going out to destroy everything thinking that’s “how it’s done” ought to find themselves a real graffiti artist to mentor them and tell them otherwise. I won’t for a minute condemn ALL graffiti or street art, whether legal or otherwise, each has its use, but there are very distinct rules that have been in place for decades. That mess down there off of 8th avenue is so disgusting that the single LEGAL wall i have painted on in this town for 4 years, ok three because i was in iraq or one of them, is now under pressure of being painted over by the kind and generous owners of the building.
it saddens me that something i have and will continue to charge in the 10’s of thousands of dollars for can no longer be donated freely to the people of this city.
I will admit to having some non-fans in the community surrounding that wall, but the majority of the people that stop by while i paint are very receptive and great to talk to.
Where some complaints about kids messing things up are entirely within reason. I still believe that the public has plenty to learn in regard to the culture behind graffiti as a fine art. it’s all the same to me. But considering that my next project will now be in Michigan instead of a town that needs more culture, Blair county will be missing out on the opportunity to tax the 30K i would have made if i had more opportunity to market the work here.
probably for the better though, we already have enough silly lightpoles downtown.
hey gone84, when are we gonna see a throw-up or something? We are all begining to think that the only thing your good at is Graphic Design and complaining. I’ve seen your stuff; not just in Altoona, but in some other places as well. I dont think you have the right to call yourself a “graffiti artist”, I think the word your looking for in phoney. I know people that are less recognized, and WAY better than you. Why should you be anybodys mentor? I even saw one of your tags in Altoona actualy under that bridge by your pieces. WTF IS THAT?!?! Now don’t get me wrong, your good and doing your thing; its just that actual “graffiti” is not it. Graffiti is not just putting up “pieces” on a wall in Altoona. The game is about getting your name out there, and tagging what you can. If you were a real “graffiti artist” you would know this. So just go to where your going and just leave us to what we’re doing.
Graffiti is not art. If someone contracts with you to paint for them or allows you to do so it would be just fine. Anyone who runs around with a can of paint and “destroys” yes “destroys” things without it being a property that they own or as I said being asked to do so should be punished. Caught once pay a fine $1000. Caught twice pay $10, 000. Caught three times 1 year in Blair County. Caught again 10 years. So on and so forth. Then, just then, these individuals with too much time or their hands might become a productive member of society. Not tearing down what people build up. Man I hate people with a passion for stupid ass things. Want to be passionate about something? Go volunteer at a food bank, or help the Salvation Army, or shovel an old person’s walk. Being generally destructive and a pain in the ass….not nice man…just not nice. Just thank the lord himself that I’m not running things around here. Why is it so hard for some people to contribute to society?