Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown says the money the city spends to clean up graffiti could instead go towards other projects to beautify the city. Each year, Buffalo spends more than $100,000 to clean up the markings left behind by vandals.
Mayor Brown, along with North District Councilmember Joseph Golombek and other city officials, met in the city's Black Rock section to demonstrate the city's ongoing effort to clean up graffiti as part of the administration's quality-of-life concerns.
"We've had some graffiti problems in the city over the years, and I'm glad to see that we're using newer, modern technology to try to improve the quality of life for the residents of the City of Buffalo," said Golombek.
Mayor Brown demonstrated a new power washer recently purchased by the city. With its own water supply, the washer can be used in areas that may be difficult to reach for other equipment. The unit costs an estimated $1,200 and the city is likely to acquire more. So far in 2015, city crews have removed more than 1,300 graffiti markings throughout the city.
Citizens were encouraged to call 311 to report graffiti markings.
"If they are on private property, we will reach out to the private property owners to remove the graffiti from their property," said Mayor Brown.
Wilmer Olivencia, Jr., who coordinates the city's Anti-Graffiti and Clean City Program, says a fast response makes it easier to remove the paint from walls, signs or other objects where the graffiti was left. It also serves to deter additional graffiti, in most cases.
"The objective is the quicker we take it off, the quicker we're letting the taggers know we're not going to tolerate them coming and vandalizing our city," he said.
Although admitting that in some parts of the city, graffiti vandals are tempted to play a cat-and-mouse game with city officials, Olivencia estimates quick cleanups deter future vandalism about 65 percent of the time.
