It started off as a dream to own his own business and be his own boss. Sooner rather than later, the dream became a reality and Keith Johnson rented out a store in downtown Provo.
Unfortunately for Johnson, his dream experienced a bleak reality last week when he was welcomed by black lettering across the side of his store when got to work Wednesday morning.
"It's hard enough to make ends meet," he said. "People don't understand how much something like this can set a small business back."
Johnson is not alone in his plea; there were 508 reported graffiti incidents on public property in Provo in 2007. Already in 2008, over 1,000 incidents have been reported.
Beginning January 2007, the city opened a hotline and a Web site where graffiti can be reported. These have helped police respond quicker to the graffiti problem, but the problem continues to exist. Making reporting graffiti easier may have contributed to this year's increase in the number of cases reported.
Provo is taking an approach similar to that taken by New York City during the 1990s when Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Police Commissioner William Bratton focused on small crimes such as graffiti in an attempt to change both the city's look and feel.
Their theory, "No Broken Windows," is based on the idea that small things like fixing broken windows, or quickly removing graffiti, can lead to great change in a city. They believed letting appearance and vandalism become problems in a city serves to increase crime rates by sending a message that nobody in the city really cares.
"We're impressed with the changes [Giuliani] made," said Helen Anderson, Provo City's public information officer. "It's something that gives the community encouragement, that it can make big changes."
Anderson said her research has shown that prompt removal of graffiti is the key to future prevention. With removal being so important, the need to report graffiti has risen as well.
If individuals are in the act of placing graffiti, 911 should be called to report the vandalism. People should not personally intervene.
When graffiti is found after the fact, it can be reported by calling 85-CRIME or online at graffiti.provo.org.
Provo contracts with the 4th District Juvenile Court for removal of all graffiti on public property. The court runs the community service work program HOPES, helping offenders perform excellent service. Part of this program is teens against graffiti or TAG.
The program helps youth offenders to do community service as restitution to society under adult supervision.
"The bigger picture is that it helps kids to give back and be held accountable," said Shelly Waite, coordinator of the 4th District Juvenile Court.
Once reported, graffiti on public property is typically removed by TAG within 48 hours.
Graffiti has also shown up on BYU campus.
Lieutenant Arnold Lemmon said the university is not currently experiencing the number of incidents Provo City is, but cases have been reported.
BYU police responded to a report of graffiti on the north side of the Morris Center Cafeteria late last month where "RAJ Hate" was written in 24-inch yellow letters.
BYU police investigated the writing's possible affiliation with Raj Thackeray, a controversial political figure in India.
"That's a long shot," Lemmon said.
The letters could be someone's initials, he said.
Although BYU may not be immune to graffiti, its problem is less than that of Provo.
"Most of the cases we get are when someone writes on the ground with sidewalk chalk," Lemmon said.
Good surveillance cameras, visible security officers and prompt removal of graffiti have all contributed to BYU having fewer cases of reported graffiti.
Provo Police Senior Patrolman Chris Kenkel said perpetrators of graffiti can be broken down into two groups: gangsters and writers. Gangsters typically tag to mark their territory while writers tag to gain notoriety.
"There's a total difference between what they want to do," Kenkel said.
There are also different types of graffiti. A large outline, usually written with bubble letters filled in with one color is known as a throw up. A multi-colored throw up is called a piece, Kenkel said.
Police are committed to remove graffiti and are working to lower incidents in Provo.
Selected officers now carry graffiti removal kits in their cruisers to quickly remove small cases of graffiti or highly offensive tagging. The Police Department is now using regular and night-vision cameras that can be hooked into the iProvo fiber-optic network to monitor areas that are frequently tagged.
Even with the new surveillance, residents still play an important role in controlling graffiti.
"The biggest thing is the [residents]," Kenkel said. "They're our number one source of indentifying graffiti."
Provo City is offering the reward of an iPod between now and the end of summer to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone vandalizing property by placing graffiti.
How to prevent and remove graffiti
* Information on materials to remove graffiti is available at graffiti.provo.org
* Certain paints can be purchased that allow graffiti to be wiped off
* Other paints are available to paint over graffiti
* Install lights in areas that may attract graffiti
* Plant bushes around potential graffiti sites
Source: Provo City Newsletter April/May 2008
