Concern over graffiti mounts with removal of public mural

One of Fallbrook’s oldest public art displays was removed last week due to damage it had sustained from the repeated application and removal of graffiti and tagging.

According to Jackie Heyneman, a longtime volunteer with the Fallbrook Land Conservancy, a mural depicting animals and wildlife that had been painted by students of the Fallbrook Montessori School in the 200 block of Beech Street had to be removed Jan. 5.

“It had been one of the original pieces in Fallbrook,” she said. “We had graffiti-proofed the mural, but the wall had not been prepared properly. We had tried to remove the graffiti, and the wall started to chip and peel away.”

The property owner agreed to have the mural sandblasted off, and the wall was painted back to its original condition.

Heyneman is concerned about the overall impact of graffiti on local businesses.

“It’s on the walls, businesses, and benches,” said Heyneman. “If you walk down Pico Promenade, the bridges are full of graffiti. We have painted out the areas and they are full again. Benches are constantly tagged.”

According to Lt. Robert Haley, commander of the Fallbrook Sheriff’s substation, the department was not aware that the mural had been removed.

“We had not taken any crime reports,” he said. “I had driven by and saw that the graffiti was tagging, not gang related-graffiti.”

Haley stated that the Sheriff’s Dept. asks community residents to contact the station when they see graffiti, so they can document the findings through reports.

“We can enter the graffiti into the tracker system, and charge people so they can pay for the damages,” said Haley. “Unfortunately, many just paint over it. We are working with graffiti tracker cameras, which we can use to document the graffiti before it is repaired.”

Haley also commented that it was odd to see taggers marking the mural.

“They don’t typically paint on murals,” he explained. “It defeats their whole purpose. There is usually some level of respect as [they consider themselves fellow] artists. Gang members, on the other hand, don’t care.”

Heyneman hopes that the community will be more vigilant in helping track graffiti artists.

“We realize that maybe this is a good time to bring attention to the problem,” said Heyneman. “People who are concerned about seeing graffiti all over town have a reason to awaken. When they see someone with a can of spray paint, they should not drive by and let it happen.”

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