Graffiti on the Rise in Brooklyn

Photo by Jen Carlson.

Over the past few years graffiti has been on the rise citywide, so it's no surprise that 2008 saw an increase in the colorful activity as well. The Daily News reports on some new NYPD stats, noting that while graffiti complaints were up 10% on a whole, Brooklyn in particular is losing its battle against vandals, reporting more complaints and less arrests in 2008.

The most graffiti saturated neighborhood in the borough is reportedly Bushwick, with Intermediate School 349 on Starr Street being a main target. One resident told the paper, “It’s not fair. I live right beside a church and my house still gets tagged every summer. It’s bringing property values down.” Along with Clinton Hill and East New York, complaints of vandalism in Bushwick rose 20% last year. Meanwhile Sunset Park, Coney Island and Borough Park saw a 9.7% increase (with arrests down over 12%). Even the famous Nathan's is getting adorned daily—one employee there says, “We have to clean it up every day. They mark up the bathrooms, the walls, the ceilings, everywhere. It’s inappropriate.”

There is good news for Queens, however—the borough's vandalism complaints dropped dramatically last year (though some warn this may just mean a "lack of vigilance in reporting graffiti"). Meanwhile, the Bronx continues to fight against those spraying their walls. Back in the '80s, the vandal squad was no match for graffiti artists like Brim—check out this video where he explains the tagger's point of view.