Let’s Wipe Out Graffiti in Our Parks
Our staff and volunteers spend a great deal of time in the city’s parks so we’re the first to spot litter, damage or graffiti. Marking up another person’s property without their permission is the simplest definition of graffiti and it’s damaging to our parks – whether it’s gang symbols spray painted on the side of a rec building or a simple “Class of 2012” carved into a park bench.
Not only does it take away from the beauty of our parks but it costs money to clean up. Large cities like Phoenix and Chicago spend more than $6 million a year cleaning up graffiti – that money could be used to improve the parks and add more recreational services.
Locally, Keep Charleston Beautiful works to “Wipe Out Graffiti” by encouraging preventive measures and helping with the clean up.
Keep Charleston Beautiful recommends planting trees or other greenery near a graffiti-plagued wall, creating a sanctioned mural in areas commonly hit with graffiti and installing lighting in those areas.
Why report graffiti?
Graffiti lowers property values
Discourages shoppers
Scares away tourists
Damages historic buildings and monuments
Lowers the morale of a community
Encourages other crimes
To report graffiti, call 843-958-1500. A first-time offender could be fined up to $1,000 and/or given jail time of 30 to 90 days. Subsequent convictions have higher fees and even jail time of up to three years.
If you see graffiti in the parks, report it to Keep Charleston Beautiful and help us keep Charleston’s parks looking beautiful!