Graffiti Surge on Ocean Avenue Spurs Meeting for Solutions

The middle-of-the-night vandalism that leaves storefronts and Muni bus stops with indecipherable spray paint was the subject of a community meeting this Tuesday.

The Ocean Avenue Association, the nonprofit charged by the city with keeping Ingleside’s stretch of Ocean Avenue clean and well maintained, organized the discussion with a graffiti expert from the San Francisco Police Department.

Martin Ferreia, SFPD’s graffiti abatement officer, discussed tactics and strategy for reducing the colorful form of vandalism, which has become more prevalent in the neighborhood, especially in hard-to-reach second story locations.

“I want to stress why [rapid removal] is so important,” Ferreia said. “Taggers like longevity for their graffiti and there is a large amount of frustration that they experience if it gets ‘buffed’ quickly. It drives them crazy.”

Ferreia said taggers aim to establish their individual tag, which is a signature or logo, to build credentials, respect or affirmation from others within the graffiti taggers community.

Aside from quick removal, Ferreia said that good lighting and surveillance cameras assist in prevention and prosecution of vandalism.

District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí pledged to install security cameras on the avenue later this year. Supervisor Myrna Melgar created a pilot program enabling private property owners to enroll in a program that allows the city to paint out graffiti on their buildings.

The city’s 311 database  shows 50 complaints in all of 2022. Two complaints from 2021 were reopened. Sixteen cases are still open.

The association’s ambassadors have painted over 42 instances of graffiti since February, said Christian Martin, the nonprofit’s executive director. The organization has purchased two gallons of paint for private properties and has been given green and blue paint from the city for utility boxes and mailboxes.

Several community members brought up concerns with safety and how to report vandalism sightings especially for the elderly.

“When you see graffiti it creates a perception that it’s not a safe area,” said Donna Howe, a longtime resident. “I think that it’s important to homeowners. It’s not a question of property value as it is safety.”

Ferreira advised calling 311 to document graffiti because reporting is important for both the removal and apprehension of prolific taggers. The 311 app is preferable because it easily allows photos to be submitted.

But Ferreira advised the meeting attendees to never follow or engage taggers.

“It's also important for members of the community to know that stepping in and trying to stop a crime can be dangerous and detrimental to your safety,” Ferreia said. “Making note of the person's description, what they're writing, where they're writing it, following through with the officer, making a report and being willing to identify people who are engaged in this activity, that makes a big difference because oftentimes graffiti writers really don't want to be identified.”

Educating students on the risks of tagging and putting warning signs up was an idea shared to minimize graffiti.

“I think that messaging in school would be a good thing,” Ferreia said. “Even if we can't visit the schools, I think that someone should be talking about, this is a crime, it affects people and there should be consequences.”