Seattle Times collaboration: The cost of graffiti vandalism

That Seattle Times video about Seattle’s “Graffiti Rangers” is part of a package of stories that just hit the Times site, including a contribution from WSB. It’s been seven months since we and other neighborhood-news sites around the area became part of the J-Lab Networked Journalism Project – an experiment to see how small and large news organizations could work together – and while offshoots of that collaboration have been visible here in other ways, such as Times photos we’ve sought permission to run, and links from the Times home page directly to WSB coverage of big West Seattle stories, this is the first official collaborative project. A Times reporter has taken a look at the graffiti-vandalism “big picture” – and six of us partner sites have contributed stories and vignettes about what’s happening in the neighborhoods. You can see it all here.

Garden_nymph April 26, 2010 (12:31 am)

Nice job. Did we ever find out what the purple stencil shark meant?

WSB April 26, 2010 (12:32 am)

Not unless I missed the comment that solved it all…

Westie April 26, 2010 (8:16 am)

This is a great city service. Thanks Rangers. What about planting poison ivy, or holly bushes at locations that frequently get graffiti? Or spend the time to surveil the area that we know always gets regraffitied and arrest the perps?

Gunnar April 26, 2010 (8:31 am)

2 weeks ago, I called in a complaint about a building on 17th Ave SW between Roxbury & Cambridge that’s been a graffiti hotspot, and still nothing has been done.
I wouldn’t mind it if there was even a small resemblance to art, but when it’s just scribbled “tagging”, it’s totally dumb.

waman April 26, 2010 (8:32 am)

It would be nice if the city were to dedicate a large wall area for people/artists/taggers to come down & spray away! Make it safe, like a skate park – who knows…West Seattle could be the spot of a world graffiti competition? Maybe line the whole foods spot with concrete & make a giant art bowl!

bebecat April 26, 2010 (8:49 am)

If you want to do “art”, go to Arts West in the juction and buy the supplies. Do your thing in your home, not on public property, where I have to look at it or continue to pay for it’s removal/cleanup(like trash). Many will think “How negative”. I just remember being on the bus in 1990 in Honolulu heading to Wikiki and seeing all this gross graffiti and nearly crying because I had traveled to see paradise. Seattle had not yet been so defaced.

T_Bickle April 26, 2010 (9:31 am)

Graf. Writers providing jobs.
Good work!

Noelle April 26, 2010 (10:23 am)

Arts West is a Theater & Gallery space. Northwest Art & Frame is our local Junction Art supply and frame shop.

I think its sad that these rangers go all around town cleaning up after all those hooligans. All it takes is one kid with a marker or spray paint to make a huge mess again. It really is too bad the city does not have a place for ‘wall art’ and graffiti to be made and enjoyed. The problem is that the taggers won’t care if there is a legitimate graffiti space. Taggers just want to mark territory like a dog peeing on a wall. I think Most (not all) Artists do look for legitimate venues to display their work.

elevated concern April 26, 2010 (11:25 am)

There’s a new tag on the abondoned used car dealership at 38th and Alaska. Not sure which one is worse, the graffiti or the windows painted with “Bad Credit, No Problem”.