Evaluation of the City of Ottawa. Graffiti Management Strategy. and. Effectiveness of the 4E Model: Enforcement, Eradication, Empowerment, Education

Transcription

1 Evaluation of the City of Ottawa Graffiti Management Strategy and Effectiveness of the 4E Model: Enforcement, Eradication, Empowerment, Education Prepared for: Prepared by: Student Number City of Ottawa

2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The City of Ottawa s Graffiti Management Strategy was implemented in The Strategy was provided to all internal City departments and external stakeholders to offer guidance on how best to manage graffiti on public and private property. The goals and objectives established in 2002 are still in place in 2016: A clean, safe and beautiful city with a reduction in overall visible graffiti; Greater community pride and economic prosperity for residents and businesses; Encourage civic pride and participation in graffiti reduction; and, Engage multiple stakeholders to maximize benefits. The City of Ottawa follows the 4E Model, the industry standard strategy used throughout North America to manage the spread of graffiti. It encourages the development of a comprehensive program through partnerships that bridge governments, police services, private sector businesses, graffiti artists, as well as representatives from community and homeowner associations. 4E Model: Enforcement Eradication Empowerment Education Enforcement: Applying municipal and other relevant laws when necessary and holding vandals responsible for their actions. Eradication: Removing graffiti quickly, efficiently and encouraging timely reporting of graffiti. Empowerment: Maximizing available resources and relationships and encouraging property owners to take a key role in deterring graffiti. Education: Raising awareness in the community about the negative impact and costs associated with graffiti as well as the importance of prevention and rapid removal. This industry best practice model clearly recognizes that graffiti is not a one-dimensional issue and must be addressed with a variety of proactive and reactive approaches. Each component of the Program Elements and associated Key Issues/Risks are metrics used to identify areas of concern, areas for improvement and recommendations to aid in further improving how graffiti is managed in the community. The purpose of this research paper is to review the Graffiti Management Strategy and each aspect of the 4E Model with the Program Elements and associated Key Issues/Risks currently being used. The City of Ottawa Graffiti Management By-law (2008-1) is lead by the Public Works Department which regulates how graffiti is managed and details who is responsible for each stage of that management. A review of the Graffiti By-law is in process to obtain feedback and metrics by consulting with municipalities and the City of Ottawa s Graffiti Management Stakeholder Committee. The preliminary results indicate the City of Ottawa has had success in adhering to the Graffiti Management Strategy that was implemented 14 years ago. Statistics show a decrease in Service Requests and the continued level of commitment by the stakeholders being proactive within the community to keep the City as graffiti free as possible. There will always be areas for improvement and with the continuation of the program and networking it will continue to be a success. The City of Ottawa Graffiti Management Strategy and its associated programs have been functioning and fulfilling the needs of the Graffiti Management Program since The goal is to continue maintaining the status quo level of graffiti management or, as a best case scenario, see a reduction in that level. The approach will be to review the details of each of the 4E Model Program Elements and determine a course of action that will allow for improvements within those fundamentals. Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 2

3 Table of Contents Scope and Methodology Overview By-law Review City of Ottawa Graffiti Management By-law Best Practice Review of Municipalities Consultation of Graffiti Management Strategy Stakeholder Committee A External Stakeholders B Internal Stakeholders Graffiti Management Program 4E Model Enforcement Eradication Empowerment Education Recommendations Conclusion Bibliography Appendices Appendix A By-law Appendix B1 Diversion Program Questionnaire by Youth Appendix B2 Diversion Program Feedback from Youth for research paper Appendix C 2015 Spatial Location of Graffiti Incidents Tables Table 1 Youth in City of Ottawa Diversion Program Table 2 Total Graffiti Incident by Ward on Private, Public and City Property Table 3 City Wide incidents on private, public & City property Table 4 Total Graffiti Incidents on public property (City Wide) Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 3

4 SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY: The City of Ottawa s Graffiti Management Strategy was implemented in The Strategy was provided to all internal City departments and external stakeholders in order to offer guidance on how best to manage graffiti on public and private property. The goals and objectives established in 2002 have not changed in 2016: A clean, safe and beautiful city with a reduction in overall visible graffiti; Greater community pride and economic prosperity for residents and businesses; Encourage civic pride and participation in graffiti reduction; and, Engage multiple stakeholders to maximize benefits. The City of Ottawa Graffiti Management By-law (2008-1) is lead by the Public Works Department which regulates how graffiti is managed and details who is responsible for each stage of that management. The Graffiti Management Strategy was updated in The City of Ottawa follows the industry standard strategy used throughout North America to manage the spread of graffiti. The industry best practice 4E Model of graffiti management is: Enforcement: Applying municipal and other relevant laws when necessary and holding vandals responsible for their actions. Eradication: Removing graffiti quickly, efficiently and encouraging timely reporting of graffiti. Empowerment: Maximizing available resources and relationships and encouraging property owners to take a key role in deterring graffiti. Education: Raising awareness in the community about the negative impact and costs associated with graffiti as well as the importance of prevention and rapid removal. Each component has Program Elements and associated Key Issues/Risks which are the metrics to identify areas of concern, areas for improvement and recommendations to further improve how graffiti is managed out in the community. In November 2015, Council approved a By-law Review Strategy which directed staff to review the Graffiti By-law during the current Term of Council. The objective of this research paper is to evaluate the City of Ottawa Graffiti Management Strategy and review the effectiveness of the 4E Model, to measure the success of the City of Ottawa Graffiti Management Strategy since its implementation fourteen years ago, and to identify any areas of improvement. The scope of this research paper will be to establish criteria to compare by-laws and obtain information by: Surveying Canadian and American municipalities based on 2007 survey on updated by-law structure and program elements being used and if successful. Graffiti Management Stakeholder Committee of internal and external stakeholders will be consulted to collect feedback on the by-law and overall program. Effectiveness of 4E Model any necessary enhancements to the existing Program Elements within the 4E Model: Enforcement Eradication Empowerment Education. Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 4

5 1. OVERVIEW The City of Ottawa has a well established graffiti management program in place that is recognized by other municipalities. Graffiti in Ottawa consists mainly of tags or bubble styles produced most often by individuals but on occasion crews have also left their mark. To date, the Ottawa Police Gangs & Guns Unit reports that graffiti gang-related issues are rare in Ottawa. Tag personal signature represents 85% of graffiti types Throw Up bubble or balloon style with one or more colours Masterpiece wild style with interlocking letters, multiple colours Oxford Dictionary Definition: Graffiti a piece of writing or drawing scribbled, scratched or sprayed on a surface. 1 The word graffiti comes from the Greek word grapho which means writing. People who paint graffiti are usually known as graffiti writers. 2 Graffiti is incorporated into so many facets of our lives whether it be through music (Hip Hop and Rap styles), videos, games, movies, books, magazines, television, social media or fashion. The products available to create graffiti include the typical paraphernalia: spray paints, nozzles, masks and gloves but can also include the use of other supplies: markers, etching tools, shoe polish, lipstick and tar. Removal of graffiti represents a real cost. Government, Businesses and Private Property owners incur a financial impact whether they are removing the graffiti in-house or contracting out for this service. This can create a budgetary pressure. Graffiti that takes place without permission on public or private property is considered vandalism. This type of vandalism also creates a sense of fear among residents who often feel unsafe as this type of activity is often perceived as gang-related. A graffiti-free city encourages civic pride and prosperity. Typically, it is youth between the ages that express their anti-society feelings and often do this outwardly by generating simple tags. On average, 1 out of 16 youths and a high percentage are males that commit vandalism by doing a tag or graffiti. The path of their involvement with graffiti can be varied. It can last for a short duration or they can continue to perfect their tag and style to an advanced level and become part of a crew. Crews organize massive graffiti projects particularly on trains and subways. It is an adrenaline rush to carry out graffiti without being caught and even more of an accomplishment knowing their tag will be seen by so many. The more visible the graffiti tag, referred to as Ups, the higher the level of fame. 3 A king is respected within the graffiti sub-culture. Kings who are in their 30 s typically have an addiction to creating graffiti. Kings and crews are often affiliated with gangs both locally and internationally, and for the gangs that are involved in more serious crimes, graffiti is the entry level to a sub-culture and is only a small component of the overall criminal act. 4 1 R.E. Allen, The Concise Oxford Dictionary, Jane Bingham, Culture in Action Graffiti, 4 3 Val Spicer, Portrait of a Vandal - TAGS 10 Ottawa, Wendy Hawthorne, Catch a Tagger if you can TAGS Ottawa, 1-20 Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 5

6 2. BY-LAW REVIEW CITY OF OTTAWA GRAFFITI MANAGEMENT BY-LAW (2008-1) History of graffiti legislation in the City of Ottawa: July 24, The Graffiti Management Program was approved by Council; May 23, The City of Ottawa Graffiti Management Strategy was approved by Council and endorsed during 2008 budget process; January 9, The Graffiti Management By-law (Appendix A) was enacted; May The Ottawa Graffiti Management Strategy Service Brief was created; and May 2015 Ottawa Graffiti Management Strategy Service Brief updated. On June 18, 2015, the City of Ottawa By-law Review Strategy was approved by the Community & Protective Services Committee (CPS) of the Graffiti Management By-law The Graffiti Management By-law is lead by the Public Works Department to review and submit a report with a proposed approach and work plan to the Chair CPS and Transportation Committee by the end of The Graffiti Management By-law is administered by Public Works and enforced through By-law and Regulatory Services and the Ottawa Police Service. This By-law regulates the graffiti vandals who are caught and, if charged, can face fines of $615. For the property owner, if the graffiti is not removed within the timeline called for in the By-law, associated costs are added to the owner s municipal tax bill. Other applicable laws to consider with regard to graffiti are the Youth Criminal Justice Act; the Trespass to Property Act; and the Parental Responsibility Act which denote that parents are financially responsible for property loss, damage or destruction intentionally caused by their children if they are legal minors. According to the Criminal Code of Canada, graffiti is considered vandalism and the appropriate charge is mischief under or over $5,000. Under the legislation, a perpetrator may be subjected to additional community service hours and/or additional criminal charges. A conviction could result in a criminal record that could influence a young person s future and could also impact employment opportunities or travel outside of the country. Charges related to graffiti do not always make it to trial under the criminal justice system. More often than not, offenders are sent to criminal court to face charges of Mischief, which may result in fines and a criminal record. 5 Based on the Staff Recommendations for the By-Law Review Strategy, the following points will be examined: 1. Best Practice Review of Municipalities; 2. Consultation with City of Ottawa Graffiti Stakeholders: 2.A External Stakeholders; 2.B Internal Stakeholders; and, 3. Graffiti Management Program (4E Model). 5 City of Ottawa, Graffiti Management Strategy, Transportation and CPS Committee April 23, 2007, 15 Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 6

7 2.1 Best Practice Review of Municipalities Canadian and American municipalities are currently being surveyed about their Graffiti Management By-laws, implementation methods and continue to follow the best practice. The majority of municipalities contend with graffiti issues. The implementation of a by-law will assist with how graffiti can be controlled through enforcement and eradication. A by-law provides a foundation for a municipality to regulate and manage efficiently and effectively, and is based on that municipality s specific requirements. Each municipality must continue to observe the levels of graffiti taking place within its community and evaluate which programs and any associated risks are appropriate, in order to address that graffiti. For example, due to a significant increase in the volume of graffiti, the City of Orillia surveyed various municipalities, including the City of Ottawa s Graffiti by-law and in turn the City of Orillia adopted a graffiti by-law in November In 2007, a survey was conducted by the City of Ottawa with 10 national and 7 international municipalities to obtain quantitative and qualitative metrics regarding their best practices. The results indicated that 11 out of the 18 municipalities had a by-law with various programs established following the 4E Model. Currently underway is a survey based on the same questions from 2007: Evaluate current by-law and policy; Management strategies for effective best practices; 4E Model and Program Elements; Identify graffiti trends and systems to track; Legal Walls and Skateboard Parks, if applicable; Communicating to youth on consequences of graffiti; and, Partnerships with school boards. With regard to graffiti, each municipality has unique characteristics and needs. As municipalities continue to struggle to control graffiti, finding the most cost efficient and effective method has become important in order to maximize valuable and available resources. Liaising and sharing information and resources with others is an effective method in working together. The Anti-Graffiti Symposium (TAGS) provides the opportunity for municipalities to network and learn more about the complexity of graffiti over the past ten years. The City of Ottawa hosted the 10 th annual TAGS in October Delegates in attendances were from various municipalities in Canada and the United States as well as London, England. The presentations provided insight into the global issue of graffiti that effect police services, restorative justice, and community involvement in municipalities. The key message from the conference indicated that graffiti is and can become part of much bigger social issues. It was very evident that incidences of graffiti are not diminishing and it will be a problem that society will have to face in future generations. Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 7

8 2.2 Consultation with Graffiti Management Strategy Stakeholder Committee The 68 members of the Graffiti Management Stakeholder Committee including external and internal stakeholders are currently being surveyed to collect feedback on the By-law and the overall program. 2.A External Stakeholders: The Graffiti Management Strategy (GMS) External Stakeholders Committee was established in This Committee s commitment is an important partnership as its contributions make a difference in the community. There are 30 external stakeholders including: Bell Canada, Business Improvement Areas (BIA), Canada Post, Enbridge, Hydro Ottawa, Hydro One, Metro, National Capital Commission (NCC), Rogers, 4 local School Boards and Yellow Box. This consultation process is a key factor and will ensure that there is continued: Commitment, Communication, Collaboration and Clarity of the Purpose so that the Graffiti Management Strategy will be efficient and effective. Discussion points will include: Challenges the stakeholder face regarding graffiti (removal, prevention or other concerns); Graffiti By-law is it impacting their business; Graffiti Occurrence Management online portal tracks Service Requests how is this process working; Graffiti Strategy Stakeholders Committee Meeting: input on the format; What can City of Ottawa staff do to assist more with graffiti External Stakeholders are responsible for removing graffiti from their assets in accordance with the Bylaw. In addition to receiving Service Requests regarding the removal of graffiti, several businesses are proactive with their in-house Work Plans or they contract out to graffiti removal companies. This is an expense for businesses which only continues to increase over time due to increased levels of graffiti. City of Ottawa Service Requests tracks the graffiti vandalism that is reported. Unfortunately, these requests do not capture the amount of graffiti that is being removed proactively by external stakeholders. Since implementing GMS and requesting that businesses remove graffiti within a specified timeframe, a reduction in the amount of graffiti has been noted. More details can be found in Section 3 Eradication. Feedback from the By-law review will provide an opportunity to look at new ideas and will also gauge the effectiveness of the Graffiti Management Strategy. Similar to private property owners, businesses are frustrated at being the victim of graffiti both socially and economically. This research paper proposes that stakeholders provide metrics which can be discussed at the Graffiti Strategy Stakeholders Meeting annual meeting. By working together, new ideas and solutions can be brought forward. 2.B Internal Stakeholders The partnership between the City s Public Works Department, By-law & Regulatory Services, and Ottawa Police Services addresses the complexity of graffiti vandalism and promotes a comprehensive and aligned program. Liaising with Crime Prevention, Environmental Services OC Transpo and Light Rail is also crucial in order to keep current with graffiti and the impact it has on City assets. All departments need to be understanding of each other s concerns as well as each other s business activities and individual approaches to manage graffiti. The operational component deals with the removal of graffiti on assets, while the community driven departments are often in direct contact with residents, which helps to reinforce public education on the prevention of graffiti. Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 8

9 Internal stakeholders assist with the policy, processes, guidelines, evaluation criteria and performance measurements for the Graffiti Management Strategy. It is equally important to share feedback from staff who deal with graffiti-related issues pertinent to their operations. City of Ottawa staff who attended TAGS (The Anti-Graffiti Symposium) learned how other municipalities deal with graffiti issues and what their innovative and best practices are. These ideas may be considered for inclusion in the City s Work Plan. The Term of Council Priorities is outlined in the City of Ottawa Strategic Plan. There are two key Strategic Outcomes and Initiatives that will affect the Work Plan of various departments regarding graffiti management. Promote Ottawa - Ottawa 2017 Celebrations In 2017, increased tourism and media attention will be focused on Ottawa as we showcase many events while celebrating our 150 th birthday. A proactive work plan to remove graffiti on City assets or from any other asset will need to be implemented. The support of both internal and external graffiti management strategy stakeholders will be important to ensure graffiti removal is maintained to preserve Ottawa s reputation as a Clean, Green, Graffiti and Litter Free City. Light Rail This is currently in the construction phase, however, graffiti is being tagged along the barricades and is visible from Highway 417. When Light Rail becomes fully operational along with the existing O-Train, the City must be proactive and have systems in place to prevent graffiti from taking place on the trains and the underground stations. Fortunately, at this point Ottawa s graffiti issues are nowhere as severe as in Vancouver, which has a Transit Police designated specifically for the rail lines. 3. GRAFFITI MANAGEMENT PROGRAM 4E MODEL: Review the Graffiti Management Program (4E approach) that supports the By-law to identify and enhancements. The 4E Model: Enforcement, Empowerment, Eradication and Education, is a standard strategy used throughout North America to manage the spread of graffiti. It encourages the development of a comprehensive program through partnerships that bridge governments, police services, private sector businesses, and also includes graffiti artists and representatives from community and homeowner associations. 6 The City of Ottawa has implemented Program Elements within each of the 4E models. Key Issues and Risks are identified with metrics on which issues are successful and what areas could be improved. 3.1 Enforcement: Applying municipal and other relevant laws, when necessary, and holding vandals responsible for their actions. By working with a team approach, making use of the expertise of law makers and receiving support from by-law enforcement, first responders, graffiti removers and the community itself, can all work together to hold these vandals responsible for their actions. The City takes the lead by engaging the community, by tracking and documenting graffiti, and by providing outreach and education which, in turn, fosters creativity and generates sustainability. By-law Services staff enforce the By-law with private property owners while Police Services staff enforce the Bylaw and work with partners to create intelligence networks, build experts, assist with restorative justice, foster appropriate services and continue the succession plan. Police Services are active with youth in the community in order to educate them about the legal ramifications of graffiti, including its implication and preventative methods. 6 City of Ottawa, Graffiti Management Strategy, Transportation and CPS Committee April 23, 2007, p18 Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 9

10 The community would like more enforcement in order to identify the offenders, however, more serious crimes take priority. The key is to catch someone in the process of this type of vandalism, which is difficult due to the varied times and locations where tagging typically takes place. Val Spicer has a PhD and Post Doctorate in Criminology, and was a keynote speaker at TAGS. Her message was that graffiti is an act of vandalism, yet due to the nature of the crime it is difficult to catch the offender in the act, which results in a low conviction rate. Vancouver Police have limited resources to allocate solely to the eradication of graffiti. 7 The other speakers at TAGS also have years of experience in dealing with graffiti subculture, crime prevention and restorative justice. They have researched graffiti style comparisons and conducted on-going investigations which have resulted in criminal charges. The City of Ottawa Diversion Program works in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club, the Salvation Army and the Elizabeth Fry Society. Vandals are typically youth who are caught creating graffiti and they either have to pay back the costs incurred to remove that graffiti or they are directed to diversion and restitution programs. Partnering with the City of Ottawa s Graffiti Management Program, the offender will remove graffiti from public assets for a specific number of community volunteer hours, based on the degree of those charges. There is concern that if the cost or hours are too low, that youth will not be encouraged to stop re-offending. The number of youth in the Diversion Program is fluid and is dependent on whether or not the offenders are caught. Since 2011, there has been a decrease of youth in the program which could be attributed to the fact that youth not being caught. Table 1 Youth in City of Ottawa Diversion Program Year Youth in Program A male youth currently in the City s Diversion Program agreed to complete a questionnaire for this research paper. His insight contains valuable information that can provide an opportunity for improvements to the program. Key points of the questionnaire: Spread awareness through advertising by businesses victimized by graffiti offenders; Rules of use regarding legal graffiti walls, which does not allow beginner taggers to use the space. His suggestion is to provide more legal walls and referenced the many boards installed in the Ville de Gatineau - to create graffiti legally rather than illegally; and, Teach letter artwork in school to eliminate the taboo aspect of graffiti artwork as the best way to combat the crime (Appendix B1 & B2). 7 Val Spicer, Portrait of a Vandal TAGS 10 Ottawa, 1-2 Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 10

11 3.2 Eradication: Removing Graffiti Quickly and Efficiently and Encouraging Timely Reporting of Graffiti Removing graffiti as quickly as possible sends a clear message that defacing property is not acceptable. Reoccurrence is reduced by 85% if removed within 48 hours. Taggers will see their tag has been removed and therefore their recognition and the showcasing of their tag eliminated. Proliferation will occur if graffiti is not removed after 2 weeks. 8 This is referred to as the Broken Window Theory. 9 If graffiti is left unattended, it will attract more graffiti. It leaves an impression of apathy and loss of control which can lead to an increase in crime/vandalism. Allowing graffiti to spread impacts the City s economic development and leads to further disorder and increased crime to property. Graffiti is not a victimless crime. Managing graffiti is most effective using a collaborative, multi-faceted approach and if it is left to spread in our community, will have a negative impact. Hate and offensive graffiti are a high priority for removal. Hate Graffiti: is motivated in whole or in part by hate/bias or prejudice based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation or any similar factors. Hate graffiti is mandated for removal within 24 hours. Ottawa Polices Services investigates hate graffiti prior to its removal to document the graffiti. Offensive Graffiti: could be generalized as being obscene or offensive in nature such as swear words with the use of the F word or sexual drawings of body parts. Offensive graffiti is to be removed within 48 hours. It does not constitute an additional offence other than the vandalism and does not need to be reported to Ottawa Police the same way as hate graffiti. Ottawa Police track the different types of graffiti and the areas affected in order to determine if increased police presence is required. 10 Zero Tolerance Zones In 2002, the Zero Tolerance Pilot Project conducted a graffiti removal sweep in two designated locations (Bank Street and Rideau Street) where high amounts of graffiti take place. These areas are the main business and tourist areas of the City and continue to be the most vulnerable areas for graffiti. In 2006, five other designations were added to the Zero Tolerance Zones: Glebe, Westboro, Vanier, Britannia and the Albert-Slater Corridor. Zero Tolerance Zones are identified based on the number of 311 calls received, the high number of graffiti occurrences and feedback from the City s graffiti removal crews. As of 2015, there are 11 zero tolerance zones: Kitichissippi, Downtown Core, Glebe, Vanier, Manor Park, Cyrville/Carson Grove, Barrhaven, Southgate, Orleans, Bay and Cyrville Road. (Appendix C) The chart below provides a 5-year comparison based on City Wards. The trend continues with the highest concentration of graffiti is in the downtown core as highlighted in green and part of the initial Zero Tolerance Zones. In 2015, the Orleans, Innes and Cumberland Wards in the east end of Ottawa, highlighted in yellow, have had a significant increase of graffiti. The Police Services Community Resource Officers have increased their presence in these wards and have taken steps to further educate the community. 8 City of Ottawa (2009) Graffiti Management Strategy Report, 9 9 George Kelling and Catherine M. Coles Fixing Broken Windows, Touchstone Copyright City of Ottawa Website, Working together to stop graffiti, 1 Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 11

12 Table 2 11 Total Graffiti Incidents by Ward on Private, Public & City Property WARD Grand Total Ward 1 - Orleans ,319 Ward 2 - Innes ,556 Ward 3 - Barrhaven ,543 Ward 4 - Kanata North Ward 5 - West Carleton Ward 6- Stittsville Kanata West Ward 7 - Bay ,531 Ward 8 - College ,067 Ward 9 - Knoxdale Merivale Ward 10- Gloucester Southgate ,532 Ward 11-Beacon Hill 1, ,312 Ward 12- Rideau Vanier 1,627 1,388 1,512 1,740 1,237 7,534 Ward 13- Rideau Rockliffe ,089 Ward 14 - Somerset 2,392 2,058 1,956 2,021 1,950 10,377 Ward 15 - Kitchissippi , ,572 Ward 16 - River ,216 Ward 17 - Capital 1,449 2,812 2,133 2,088 1,536 10,018 Ward 18 - Alta Vista ,428 Ward 19 - Cumberland Ward 20 - Osgoode Ward 21 - Rideau Goulbourn Ward 22- Gloucester South-Nepean Ward 23- Kanata South Grand Total 12,303 13,474 11,943 10,284 9,187 57,191 The City Crew removes graffiti proactively on City-owned and maintained assets all year long, with Zero Tolerance Zones being a priority. This crew is comprised of a minimum of 6 staff and up to 4 summer students. Over the winter months, 5 vehicles are available for use, each equipped with heated water for the pressure washers. Table 3 Year Number of Incidents Remove Proactively ,303 32, ,474 40, ,943 32, ,284 25, ,152 23, Table 2, Table 3 and Table 4 Data obtained from Appendix C Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 12

13 Based on the Service Requests received, graffiti data is collected and analyzed annually. The 5-year trend since 2011 indicates that graffiti is decreasing. The eradication process being used by the City and external stakeholders has proven to be effective in controlling graffiti. In 2015, Bell had the highest number of graffiti service requests on telephone boxes and a very low number of graffiti incidences on payphones. Canada Post had the second highest level of service requests. While graffiti has decreased on mail boxes with vinyl wraps, many of the service requests appear to be related to mail boxes and community mail boxes which are not covered with vinyl wrap. Rogers had the third highest level of service requests. Rogers Technicians remove graffiti proactively when they are doing service calls. The City received 69 Service Requests in 2015 and Rogers proactively removed 800 tags. Table 4 Total graffiti incidents on public property (City Wide) The City s Graffiti Occurrence Management System tracks the Service Requests received from 311. When graffiti is reported, the request is forwarded to the appropriate business so the graffiti can be removed quickly. The information presented in the chart above indicates the annual statistics regarding the number of Service Requests received and the ownership of the effected asset. The Project Coordinator monitors the system and will follow up with the stakeholder to ensure all Service Requests are acted on in a timely manner and that the graffiti has been removed. At the current time, photos cannot be attached to the Service Requests. This process will be reviewed as photos are instrumental in Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 13

14 helping to determine ownership of the asset in question, and are very useful in identifying the various types of utility boxes. 3.3 Empowerment: Maximizing available resources and relationships and encouraging property owners to take a key role in deterring graffiti. As a community, the negative connotations regarding graffiti need to be continually promoted so that each neighbourhood can remain as graffiti free as possible. It is important to encourage residents to report graffiti or to contact authorities if they see someone in the process of committing this crime. We must be mindful of thanking residents for taking ownership and pride in their community. Positive action will reduce the negative opinions residents may have about the neighborhood and will help lessen the perception that graffiti is gang-related and will provide a sense of security. PREVENT IT : Legal Murals / Paint It Up Program / Vinyl Wraps / Art Programs / Legal Walls / Skate Parks / CPTED Legal Walls: Since January 2008, the City of Ottawa has installed 3 walls that are legal to tag on: Dunbar Bridge, also known as the House of Paint at 1301 Bronson Avenue and the largest graffiti wall in Canada. The abutment walls on either side underneath the bridge are legal to tag but the side walls are not. The House of Paint Festival was started in It has grown from 150 to over 2,000 participants who create various artistic forms, including graffiti. The message is that the acceptance of legal walls would decrease tagging and that graffiti is an art form. Albert Street Education Centre. referred to as Tech Wall at 422 Slater Street. A large retaining wall on the property is visible from Slater Street but not visible on the short side wall or the community garden site. Bob MacQuarrie (Orleans) Recreation Complex at 1490 Youville Drive. A freestanding panel adjacent to the skate park was created as a legal wall. Even though graffiti has overflowed onto the skate board structure itself, it is tolerated. Creeping, which is not permitted, has occurred on the signs, light posts, garbage cans and on other surfaces. Graffiti writers take time to develop their personal graffiti signature before showcasing it. The main issue is that the canvasses available are not the graffiti writer s own, thereby making the activity illegal. Legal walls are a temporary solution for a certain type of tagger. Tagging the panels provides a rush but since it poses no legal risk, the illegal option becomes more appealing. It is a matter of give and take within municipalities to determine which practices work best with regard to keeping graffiti contained/eradicated. Ville de Gatineau has installed freestanding panels throughout the City at recreational parks and skateboard parks. The City of Ottawa has not increased its number of legal walls as taggers perceive these walls as canvasses on which to practice their art before going out and engaging in illegal graffiti. The viewpoint of the youth in the Diversion Program is that the boards in Gatineau immensely deter illegal graffiti. The City paints over them in order to maintain the boards and to avoid the notion of respect which occurs when a tag remains present for an extended period of time. As there are only a certain number of legal walls in Ottawa, space is limited. The youth indicated that there are rules regarding the use of the legal walls and that graffiti artists must gain a certain amount of street creed before it is socially acceptable for them to paint on the walls. This may be perceived as a type of intimidation by senior Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 14

15 artists when new artists cannot use legal walls. This provides an example as to why this youth took to the street to create his artwork illegally - so he could get his tag up and gain street creed. 12 Skateboards Parks: There are fourteen Skate Parks that are assets of the City of Ottawa. As per Council direction of May 23, 2007, graffiti at Skateboard Parks is tolerated in the same way as legal walls because these parks are situated in areas where youth activities take place. Creative expression is tolerated only on the skateboard concrete structure itself. Currently, the skateboard parks are monitored only for hate and offensive graffiti is not tolerated and will be removed, in accordance with the By-law. The youth in the Diversion Program indicated the skateboarding culture equals graffiti. When his friends started skateboarding, seeing the graffiti encouraged them to tag the concrete of the skateboard structure. In 2013, the Ottawa Skateboard Association disagreed and recommended that the new stake board park at McNabb Park should not allow graffiti on the skateboard structure. The paint products used to create the graffiti can make it difficult to skateboard on it. Paint It Up and Murals: Murals have the potential to beautify and enhance local areas throughout communities with images that reflect and depict culture, history or visions of artistic expression. Crime Prevention Ottawa collaborates with community partners and local artists to develop the Paint It Up Program and the Mural Program. Local groups such as Ottawa Urban Arts hire youth at risk to implement and paint the murals. Outdoor murals have proven to be an effective method in managing graffiti vandalism, supporting arts and culture and contributing to economic development. Graffiti vandals show respect by not tagging murals or vinyl wraps. Unfortunately, this level of respect has not been demonstrated with regard to the Ottawa 2017 murals which have been tagged 16 times since their installation in Some locations have been tagged more than once and with different offensive messages each time. It would appear these particular acts of vandalism were politically motivated and have proven to be quite costly to repair. The City is currently reviewing, in order to determine the lessons learned and how to move forward effectively. Vinyl Wraps: Canada Post took the lead by Vinyl Wrapping mailboxes in The City of Nanaimo and the City of Burnaby have had great success in wrapping vulnerable assets as taggers typically respect vinyl wraps. In 2012, the City of Ottawa implemented a year-long pilot project installing vinyl wraps on City-owned traffic boxes. The pilot project found that along with graffiti being effectively deterred it also resulted in a 40% cost savings. In 2016, the City will assist the Business Improvement Areas (BIA) to develop a vinyl wrap design reflecting each area s unique characteristics to be put on City traffic boxes within each respective BIA. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED): is the manipulation of the physical environment for the purpose of influencing the desired human behavior. The benefits of CPTED include improving the quality of life in areas affected by graffiti, lessening the fear associated with this type of vandalism, helping to lower the cost of graffiti removal if there is less graffiti to contend with, and to help establish liability within the community. It allows for problem solving which will help provide alternative ways to develop the structures of new buildings as well as in common areas such as parks. For existing properties there are other solutions, not only with regard to curtailing graffiti but also for ensuring the overall safety of residents in the community. 12 Youth Diversion Questionnaire Appendix B1 &B2 Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 15

16 An exposed concrete wall is a blank canvas to deface with graffiti. An effective technique that will work to deter these spaces from graffiti would be to plant thorny bushes or vines in front of the wall and as the plants grow the wall becomes much less accessible or visible. REPORT IT : Call Police/911 when someone is doing graffiti Call 311 to report graffiti Submit a Service Request on-line: It is important that the community is educated never to assume someone else has reported seeing a graffiti-related crime in progress on public or private property. Currently, a public consultation is taking place to review how to improve the client experience through established service modes. This will include using 311 and going on-line to report graffiti. REMOVE IT : Report it and it will be removed Request Graffiti Removal Kits City of Ottawa and external stakeholder asset owners are responsible for the removal of graffiti on their property. The City s Graffiti Removal Crew has the use of trucks and supplies to remove graffiti year round. External stakeholder removal options range from having technicians paint over the graffiti to hiring graffiti removal contractors. The City s Graffiti Management Program works to raise awareness about increasing community action in conjunction with the Cleaning the Capital Program and the Adopt a Road/Park Program. Both programs supply residents with Graffiti Removal Kits. The 2016 Work Plan will strive to promote the availability of the Kits while endorsing the Cleaning the Capital Campaign. Staff of the program will liaise with the participants who request kits, in order to obtain information about the graffiti that is being removed. This information will assist City of Ottawa staff in observing and analyzing trends. 3.4 Education: Raising Awareness in the Community about the Negative Impact and Costs Associated with Graffiti and about the Importance of Prevention and Rapid Removal. Authorities will continue to work to catch these vandals. Internal and external stakeholders will continue to remove graffiti from their assets. Private property owners need to maintain their property even though they have been vandalized. Fixing the Broken Window theory is the best solution. We need to change the attitude of the community that it s just graffiti and someone else will report it and remove it. We need to continue to foster support and encourage residents to report graffiti when they see it on a structure or when they actually see it taking place. Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 16

17 Various communities have chosen to break down the fear that often goes hand-in-hand with graffiti by encouraging more community involvement. Rather than having residents feel unsafe, neighbours found empowerment by working together within the community with available resources. Following the presentation at TAGS by the City of Burnaby, the author of this paper contacted the Michael s craft store in Ottawa. A store manager took the initiative to lock up the spray paint cans and instituted a directive not to sell spray paint to anyone under the age of 18. This information will be shared with other businesses so they can be made aware of the potential theft of products being used for graffiti. It would ultimately be their decision to lock up the products and ask youth purchasing spray paint or etching products for identification. As a business owner and part of the community, this will send a message that graffiti is a crime. The current process of addressing schools with Police and Public Works staff will be reviewed to analyze its effectiveness. Involving youth will be important in order to obtain their invaluable feedback and have them engaged in the process. The young male from the Diversion Program suggested that more art programs for youth be made available so they can have legal places to exercise their creativity. Eliminating the taboo aspect of letter art and incorporating it into projects would be more effective rather than creating art that is considered vandalism. Graffiti initiatives are part of the City of Ottawa s Communication Plan and are promoted on the City s website, weekender column and tweets. While graffiti issues take place year-round, communication is linked with the Paint It Up Program for February proposals. It is also part of the Cleaning the Capital Spring Campaign and Graffiti Removal Kits are available to the public. 4. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Continue to monitor graffiti by utilizing the Program Elements of the 4E Model. Reassess annually to ensure that the City of Ottawa maintains the already well-established foundation of the Graffiti Management Strategy and is fulfilling best practices based on the most current statistics. 2. Obtain input and observations from existing Graffiti Management Strategy External Committee members on the current process, address concerns and go forward with new ideas and solutions. Liaise with the new businesses in the City of Ottawa and encourage them to be engaged and part of the Committee. Include businesses having their assets tagged as well as businesses that sell graffiti related products. 3. 4E Model Enhancements: Enforcement: Work with the community and engage youth to acquire their input in order to address graffiti issues effectively. Liaise with Police and By-law regarding their work plans on enforcement. Eradication: Continue to report and remove graffiti in a timely manner and encourage the entire community to take ownership. Empowerment: Assess and enhance the program elements currently implemented. Prepare a Business Case for a pilot project of free standing panels for graffiti to allow beginners to create graffiti on a legal surface. Education: Communication amongst all the effected parties, including offenders, outlining the negative impacts and costs associated with the removal of graffiti, and providing information on the ways to reduce graffiti from occurring within that community. Recommend that we continue to learn from the youth and engage them for their feedback regarding improvements to program elements. Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 17

18 5. CONCLUSION: Based on current trends, there are strong indications that graffiti is inevitable and that graffiti-related issues vary in magnitude depending on the region. Municipalities are not only effected when their own assets are being vandalized by graffiti, but are also responsible for the course of action to take on how best to manage graffiti within the community. The City of Ottawa s Graffiti Management Strategy was formulated based on the best practice 4E Model foundation for Graffiti Management and is based on the preliminary research and analysis of the Graffiti By-law Review. The volume of Service Requests received indicates that residents are reporting graffiti which is then being quickly removed. The Graffiti Strategy Stakeholder Committee also takes the necessary steps in order to remove graffiti proactively. Due to the commitment of the community, a marked decrease in the level of graffiti has been noted. Unfortunately, the costs incurred to remove graffiti continue to soar. We will continue looking for new ideas to utilize the program elements and implement key risks/issues with best practices so that we fulfill the current needs of the municipality. The Graffiti Cycle is perpetuated when vandals knowingly create illegal graffiti and are aware of how difficult it is to be caught. Unfortunately, graffiti victims are mandated to cover the cost of repairing the damages to their property, which is usually caused by someone unknown. Concern and fear is often created within communities when graffiti is seen in their neighbourhood. By-law and Police Services are doing their part to educate and enforce within the parameters of their work plans. The positive messaging is that together we are working together to find solutions to prevent graffiti from escalating. Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 18

19 6. BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCES 1. Allen, R.E., The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English, Eight Edition, Claredon Press Oxford Bingham, Jane - Culture in Action Graffiti, Raintree, Chicago Illinois City of Ottawa Graffiti Management Strategy (ACS2007-PWS-SOP-0001), April 23, City of Ottawa Graffiti Management By-law City of Ottawa Graffiti Management Program Enhancements - Mural Program and Legal Graffiti Wall Monitoring Report, City of Ottawa Transportation Committee and Community & Protective Services Committee, (ACS2009-COS-PWS-0013), June 29, City of Ottawa Service Brief Graffiti Management Strategy, May City of Ottawa Strategic Plan 8. City of Ottawa Website Working together to stop graffiti, April Cox, James, Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO), Public Consultation and Citizen Engagement Hawthorne, Wendy Catch a Tagger if you can, TAGS 2015, Vancouver Transit Police 11. Kelling, George L and Coles, Catherine M. Fixing Broken Windows, January 20, 1998 Touchstone Copyright Lambie, Brian, Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO), Media Relations for Municipalities, Copyright Redbrick Communication Mongrel Media, Exit Through the Gift Shop by Bansky DVD Layout and Design, Distributed in Canada by Morgan, Anthony, Hayley Boxall, Kym Linderman, Jessica Anderson Effective crime prevention interventions for implementation by local government. Copyright 2012 Australian Institute of Criminology Spicer, Val Portrait of a Vandal TAGS 10 Ottawa, Vancouver BC Walters, Eric Tagged, ebook from Ottawa Public Library 2013 Copyright The Rule of Three Inc. [Victoria, B.C.]: Orca, Wilkinson, Elora Graffiti in Halifax Policy and Practices, Dalhousie University School of Planning, Morgan, Anthony, Hayley Boxall, Kym Linderman, Jessica Anderson Effective crime prevention interventions for implementation by local government. Copyright 2012 Australian Institute of Criminology Spicer, Val Portrait of a Vandal TAGS 10 Ottawa, Vancouver BC Walters, Eric Tagged, ebook from Ottawa Public Library 2013 Copyright The Rule of Three Inc. [Victoria, B.C.]: Orca, Wilkinson, Elora Graffiti in Halifax Policy and Practices, Dalhousie University School of Planning, 2014 Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 19

20 APPENDIX A GRAFFITI MANAGEMENT BY-LAW BY-LAW NO A by-law of the City of Ottawa to prohibit the placement of graffiti on property and to require property be kept free of graffiti. THIS CONSOLIDATION IS PROVIDED FOR OFFICE USE / REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY. EVERY EFFORT IS MADE TO ENSURE THE ACCURACY OF THIS CONSOLIDATION UP TO AND INCLUDING THE LAST AMENDING BY-LAW NUMBER BELOW. THIS IS NOT TO BE USED IN PLACE OF PHOTOCOPIES OF ORIGINAL BY-LAWS, NOR CAN IT BE USED FOR COURT PURPOSES. FOR LEGAL REQUIREMENTS, PLEASE REFER TO THE OFFICIAL BY-LAWS OF THE CITY OF OTTAWA. Updated March 25, 2008 Prepared by By-law and Regulatory Services Amending by-law numbers: Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 20

21 BY-LAW NO A by-law of the City of Ottawa to prohibit the placement of graffiti on property and to require property be kept free of graffiti. WHEREAS the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 25, as amended provides that a municipality may prohibit and regulate with respect to public nuisances, including matters that, in the opinion of Council are or could become public nuisances; nuisance; AND WHEREAS, in the opinion of the Council of the City of Ottawa, graffiti is a public THEREFORE the Council of the City of Ottawa enacts as follows: DEFINITIONS 1. In this by-law, City means the municipal corporation of the City of Ottawa or the geographic area of the City of Ottawa as the context requires; customer service box means either a publication distribution box or a courier drop box; courier drop box means an unattended box into which any member of the general public may deposit letters or parcels to be delivered by courier companies; Director means the Director of By-law and Regulatory Services in the Community and Protective Services Department of the City of Ottawa or authorized assistants or By-law Officers; graffiti means one or more letters, symbols, etchings, figures, inscriptions, stains howsoever made or otherwise affixed to a property or other markings that disfigure or deface a property but does not include a mural sign permitted in accordance with By-law No , the Permanent Signs on Private Property By-law; interior space includes an interior wall, ceiling, floor and any other partition that defines the interior space of a property; mural sign means a decorative mural that is painted directly onto the exterior fabric of a building and that serves as an expression of public art; officer means a police officer or municipal law enforcement officer appointed by the Council of the City of Ottawa to enforce the provisions of this by-law; owner includes, (a) the person for the time being managing or receiving the rent of the land or premises in connection with which the word is used, whether on the person s own account or as agent Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 21

22 or trustee of any other person, or who would receive the rent if the land and premises were let; (b) the lessee or occupant of the property who, under the terms of a lease, is required to repair and maintain the property; property means a building or structure or part of a building or structure, and includes the lands and premises appurtenant thereto and all mobile homes, mobile buildings, mobile structures including customer service boxes and courier drop boxes, out-buildings, fences and erections thereon whether heretofore or hereafter erected, and includes vacant property. INTERPRETATION 2. (1) This by-law includes the schedules annexed here to and the schedules are hereby declared to form part of this by-law and enact the regulation, the description or the map they contain. (2) The rules in this section apply to this by-law, unless a contrary intention is evident from the context. (3) Unless otherwise defined, the words and phrases used in this by-law have their normal and ordinary meaning. (4) This by-law is gender-neutral and, accordingly, any reference to one gender includes the other. (5) Words in the singular include the plural and words in the plural include the singular. (6) It is declared that any section, subsection or part thereof be declared by any Court of Law to be bad, illegal or ultra vires, such section, subsection part or parts shall be deemed to be severable and all parts hereof are declared to be separate and independent and enacted as such. (7) Headings are inserted for convenience of reference purposes only, form no part of this by-law and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of the provisions of this by-law. INTERIOR SPACE 3. This by-law does not apply to an interior space on a property or to a thing located entirely within the interior space on a property. GRAFFITI PROHIBITED 4. No person shall place or cause or permit graffiti to be placed on property. 5. No owner of property shall fail to maintain such property free of graffiti. NOTICE TO COMPLY 6. An officer who finds a contravention of this by-law may give written notice to the owner of the property requiring compliance with this by-law within the time period specified in the notice but no sooner than 7 calendar days after the notice is given. 7. The notice may be served personally on the person to whom it is directed or by registered mail to the last known address of that person, in which case it shall be deemed to have been given on the third day after it was mailed. 8. If there is evidence that the owner in possession of the property is not the registered owner of the property, the notice shall be served on both the registered owner of the property and the owner in possession of the property. Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 22

23 9. If the address of the owner is unknown or the City is unable to effect service on the registered owner or the owner, a placard stating the terms of the notice and placed in a conspicuous place upon the land on or near the property shall be sufficient notice to the owner. FAILURE TO COMPLY 10. No person shall fail to comply with a notice given under Section 6 of this by-law. REMOVAL OF GRAFFITI 11. If the owner fails to comply with a notice, the Director of By-law and Regulatory Services or persons acting upon his or her instructions, may enter upon the lands at any reasonable time for the purposes of carrying out the work described in the notice. 12. Costs incurred by the City in doing the work required to be done by the notice may be recovered by action or by adding the costs to the tax roll and collecting them in the same manner as property taxes. OFFENCES AND PENALTIES 13. (1) Every person who contravenes any of the provisions of this by-law is guilty of an offence. (2) Every person who is convicted of an offence under this by-law is liable to a fine as provided for in the Provincial Offences Act, R.S.O 1990, Chapter P. 33, as amended. 14. When a person has been convicted of an offence under this by-law, (a) (b) the Ontario Court of Justice, or any court of competent jurisdiction thereafter, may, in addition to any other penalty imposed on the person convicted, make an order prohibiting the continuation or repetition of the offence by the person convicted. EXEMPTIONS 15. This by-law shall not apply to: (a) the north abutment, excluding the wing walls facing south and the pillars and bridge supports immediately facing the abutment wall, designated by sign, on The Honourable George Dunbar Bridge known municipally as 1301 Bronson Avenue; (b) (c) the concrete retaining wall on the south side of the western portion of the Ottawa Technical High School known municipally as 422 Slater Street; and, the Orleans Graffiti walls located at the skatepark at the Bob MacQuarrie Complex known municipally as 1490 Youville Drive. (By-law No ) SHORT TITLE 16. This by-law may be referred to as the Graffiti Management By-law. ENACTED AND PASSED this 9 th day of January, 2008 CITY CLERK MAYOR Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 23

24 APPENDIX B1 Questionnaire from Youth in Diversion Program 2015 (Page 1) Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 24

25 APPENDIX B1 Questionnaire from Youth in Diversion Program 2015 (Page 2) Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 25

26 APPENDIX B2 Additional information by Youth in the Diversion Program Terms associated with someone who does graffiti. Most of the youth who do graffiti are aware of the type of vandalism they are creating. There are various forms of slang to identify said articles of vandalism. They're called "hits." A "live hit" is one that is visible to a large population of people at once. A "heat hit" is one that has a factor of high risk of being caught by police. A "hassid hit" is one that is seen as mean, uncalled for, over-the-top. For example painting someone s car or privately owned business can be argued to a "hassid hit". Subsequently, any of these terms can be combined indefinitely depending on the opinion of the person. (A live hit can also be hassid and heat at the same time). The fact is, people that partake in graffiti know exactly what they're doing, and the different slang terms describing the types of hits, proves this. Recommended to use a graffiti "throw" picture of someone with a lower profile. I recognize the picture with "Racer", a very well-known Ottawa writer. Publishing his/her art will provide him more "ups," and give him/her further incentive to vandalize; as does showcasing any graffiti work publicly. (television, websites, articles etc.) A King refers to the extreme respect gained amongst the graffiti community due to a combination of artistic skill and big "ups." While graffiti crews may have someone who is "head of crew" this is not required nor always established amongst the members. Typically a crew will have a common understanding who has the most "up" and who harbours the most artistic skill. They show respect accordingly via "shout outs" (writing the members name beside their own tags, throws or murals.) The crew members will either shout out their whole crew, or just the member who has the most respect. It is important to note that a "crew leader" does not necessarily have extra responsibility to organize vandal outings, although it is encouraged. Also, given the usual older age of "kings" they typically don't engage in crime other that writing graffiti, due to their high profile. It's the youths who usually commit organized theft to fund their graffiti addiction. Also, it is very uncommon for graffiti to be linked with actual dangerous gang activity with graffiti being a small component. Anything a graffiti crew that does that is illegal will typically revolve around graffiti. Ideas on how to educate and communicate to the community. In order to spread more awareness it must be stopped in its tracks. People need to understand the various outcomes graffiti causes and link the hardship it causes as more significant than the rush or "street creed" that may be acquired the more active a specific tagger is and becomes. A way we can spread this awareness could be through commercials of business owners suffering from hardship that comes from being a victim of graffiti. The target audience would be children, so placing the ads on Saturday morning cartoons, posters in areas associated with children activities. The point is to create empathy for the victims before the crime is committed, thus perhaps stopping it in its tracks. On top of creating awareness about the outcome graffiti causes, children still need to be encouraged to exercise their creative capabilities and to be encouraged to be creative. Perhaps a more regulated art program amongst children in elementary school, with a mandatory unit on letter art. Not only would this potentially be used on art projects and posters, but it would eliminate the taboo aspect of letter art that actually draws on most of its participants. All it takes is a person with high creativity, intelligence of their surroundings, and high motivation to become a VERY active graffiti writer. The aim here is to redirect their creativity by providing earlier outlets for it on top of eliminating the taboo aspect of letter art. Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 26

27 Legal Walls If more legal walls that are built, the lower the chances graffiti will occur illegally. From experience, most participants of graffiti want to paint a "piece" and not just do simple tagging or vandalism. The problem is, with so few legal walls around space is limited. Ottawa has two legal walls that I know of - Tech Wall, and House of Paint. The problem with legal walls of this calibre is that they are not for beginner painters, and one of the unspoken rules of painting them is to always do something better than what you are going over. In graffiti lingo, this is called a "burn." A burn is not a diss, if anything it is considered respectful for a more talented writer to go over your artwork. The problem with the legal walls in Ottawa is that it is very hard to "burn" who you are going over since legal walls are for murals and very complex paintings. If someone does go over somebody else s work and doesn't "burn" them, their painting will be crossed out and scribbled over. The only time I have ever been able to paint a legal wall in Ottawa was when somebody was already crossed out. Only then was it socially acceptable for me to spray paint there. It is important to note that legal walls are not for practicing, and it is discouraged to paint there unless one is more "up." (Up is referring to the extent of commonality one has their tag in the city streets and also how "live" they are) From this, we get a vicious cycle. In order to paint legally, writers are encouraged to get their names up in the streets illegally. The best way to combat this is legal graffiti boards similar to that just in Hull. The white boards are placed around the city that stand around 8-10 feet tall and 6-10 feet across. These boards in Hull are usually in almost every park. Not only does their commonality help deter illegal graffiti immensely, but the city periodically re-paints them completely white to avoid the notion of respect that comes forth with other legal walls. On top of this, because these boards are smaller than your typically legal graffiti wall, it deters advanced writers attempting to paint untouchable murals. I suggest city provide systematic time-based buffing of legal graffiti walls to provide new writers opportunity to paint legally, without being faced with resentment from other writers for going over their murals. If the city buffs legal graffiti walls every 3 months or so, this will open up opportunity for new writers to practice Just a recap on all my points, the best way to deter graffiti is to provide awareness of the negative outcomes graffiti causes through various forms of media towards to appropriate target audiences, teach letter artwork in elementary schools to eliminate the taboo aspect of graffiti artwork that usually attracts its participants, and provide more legal graffiti boards (in parks) that are periodically "buffed" in order to avoid the notion of respect and allowing user friendliness to a wide range of people. Getting into Graffiti I started tagging because graffiti was really ingrained in skateboard culture and I have identified with the subculture of skateboarding for as long as I can remember. When I was around 14 my friends started tagging the skate parks. I thought it was fun and chose to give it a try. Next thing I knew I had sketch books filled with drawings and had made numerous new friends whom were all into the graffiti community. The main reason I started was because my friends introduced it to me but the reason I continued was for the artistic aspect of it. The only reason I took my artwork to the streets was to gain enough "street creed" for it to be socially acceptable for me to play legal walls like House of Paint and Tech Wall. To this day, it still would not be acceptable for me to paint Tech Wall due to the lack of my tag being "up." Why do you do Graffiti? Response was self expression, freedom, hatred of the system. Explanation of hatred of the system : I am referring to the fact that most graffiti writers all hold jobs and have a similar idea as to what is success (having a job, making income, living comfortably). Most have appropriate means and tools to work towards the ideal norm of success but don't actually agree with the means of attaining said success. They hate their job, dislike going to school, fed up with how terrible OC Transpo is, etc. The point is, they agree with the ideal norm of success but dislike the means of attaining said success. From this stance, one may start partaking in graffiti not only as a creative outlet for their frustration, but as a way of taking revenge against society. Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 27

28 APPENDIX C 2015 Spatial Location of Graffiti Incidents recorded on private, public & city property City Wide Evaluation of Graffiti Management Strategy Page 28