Fed up with graffiti

Winston-Salem business owners and residents who spoke at a public hearing last night were overwhelmingly in favor of restricting teenagers' ability to buy or possess spray paint, in an effort to prevent graffiti.

The Winston-Salem City Council chose to postpone making a decision about those restrictions, sending two proposals back to a council committee for more discussion.

But for about 30 minutes, the council heard from people who were fed up with graffiti and vandalism.

"Sometimes we have to hire people (to remove the graffiti)," said Sarah Swaim, who owns a business on Waughtown Street. "It's very costly, very time-consuming and very frustrating."

Sam Southern, another Waughtown Street business owner, said he has spent between $5,000 and $6,000 removing graffiti and repairing vandalism at his shop.

"When you catch these kids … give them a toothbrush and a bucket and get them out there scraping paint off the wall," Southern said. "Make them pay for it. Make their parents pay."

The council is considering two changes to the city's existing ordinance that deals with graffiti. One change would prevent minors from possessing spray paint; another would prevent stores from selling spray paint to minors.

Minors, according to the proposal, are anyone ages 11 to 18.

The city has, since 2008, had an ordinance that defines graffiti and requires property owners to clean graffiti from their buildings. City Attorney Angela Carmon said the city has been exploring the possibility of adding to that ordinance for the last six months. The proposed changes debated last night are modeled after ordinances in Statesville, Chicago Heights, Ill., and Los Angeles County in California.

Council members said they were in favor of both changes, but wanted to clarify the way the proposals are written and discuss other issues before adopting the changes as law.

Council member Derwin Montgomery, who represents the city's East Ward, said he was concerned that the ordinance did not provide enough protection to teenagers' rights.

"I don't want officers to be able to arbitrarily search youths," Montgomery said. "But I totally agree that this ordinance is necessary."

Council member James Taylor, who represents the city's Southeast Ward, said tighter restrictions on the sale and possession of spray paint would give police officers "just one more tool" to try and stop graffiti.

"No business wants to come into a community where there's graffiti and gang writing all over the walls," Taylor said. "Graffiti just simply does not look good."

The council's public-safety committee will discuss the changes at its meeting July 12 at City Hall. That meeting is open to the public.

John Contos, the vice president of the Waughtown Business Association, encouraged the council to approve the changes.

"Business owners incur a lot of cost in removing graffiti," Contos said. "We welcome this ordinance."

lgraff@wsjournal.com | 727-7279

Fighting graffiti

What's proposed

The Winston-Salem City Council is trying to make it more difficult for young people to buy spray paint or use it to make graffiti. Under the proposed changes, it would be illegal:

• for stores to sell spray paint to minors who are not accompanied by a parent or guardian.

• for children ages 11 to 18 to possess spray paint in certain areas, including:

• any public facility.

• parks.

• playgrounds.

• swimming pools.

• recreational facilities.

• within 50 feet of an underpass, bridge abutment or storm drain.

Possession would be illegal only if minors showed the intent to make graffiti. That intent could be shown in several ways, including:

• The possession, in plain view, of spray paint by a minor in one of the designated public places.

• A witness who identifies a minor using spray paint to make graffiti.

• Spray paint on a minor's hands.

The punishment

Violations would be a misdemeanor and would carry a fine of up to $500.

What's next

The council's public-safety committee will discuss the proposals at its July 12 meeting.

The City of Winston-Salem