Wipe out graffiti in Fallbrook

FALLBROOK – Fallbrook residents will have an opportunity to once again assist the Fallbrook Beautification Alliance in wiping out graffiti in Fallbrook while shopping at Major Market. During the months of June, July and August, donations of any amount can be made at the register and will be used to fight graffiti at local streets and parks.

In the first five months of 2019, FBA volunteers cleaned over 1380 “tags” averaging 67 hours of work each month, wiping benches, painting poles and fences and scrubbing sidewalks and walls. That number is double over the same period last year.

Although this increase may in part be attributed to the team’s tracking of where graffiti is most prevalent, FBA historical data indicated that there is a considerable increase in the overall amount of graffiti in this village.

Leaving gang markings in place encourages retaliatory tagging. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, graffiti is not an isolated problem. Further criminal activity as a result of gang graffiti includes public disorder, shoplifting, gang violence and property destruction.

Additionally, the National Association of Realtors said property values decrease of 15% in neighborhoods where graffiti is present.

Since Fallbrook is unincorporated, there are no city or county employees focused on graffiti removal. It rests on the community’s businesses, residents and volunteers.

FBA board member Marta Donovan and her small team of volunteers focus on cleaning up the graffiti and eliminate the blight with programs such as Major Market’s “Wipe Out Graffiti” campaign to help provide the funds to purchase the cleaning and paint supplies the volunteers use.

Volunteer Susan Huff developed contacts with San Diego Gas and Electric and other telephone utilities to encourage the cleanup of frequently tagged utility boxes. The paint needed to match existing boxes is unique, and matching the colors to keep the area beautiful is an ongoing challenge, she said.

FBA volunteer Dan Clouse has engineered a long pole to reach the back of business tagged with graffiti.

If someone sees graffiti in town, they should report it. By doing so, the tag will be photographed and added to the sheriff’s database. FBA volunteers obtain a copy of the graffiti log every week from the Fallbrook Sheriff’s department and remove graffiti in the public right of way.

Private businesses and homeowners are responsible for abating graffiti on their own personal property. FBA Graffiti Abatement volunteers do often interact with businesses and residents to share ideas and solutions and to encourage their involvement in the timely removal of graffiti.

Prompt notification helps raise awareness and assists the sheriff in building a database of repeat offenders or problem areas, making it easier to patrol and prosecute. All residents are encouraged to call the graffiti hotline at (760) 451-3144 to submit a report. Callers will reach a recorded announcement and will be prompted to leave a short message with a description of where the graffiti is located.

Anyone who doesn’t have the opportunity to donate at Fallbrook’s Major Market this summer can consider making an online donation at http://www.fallbrookbeautification.org. All contributions will go toward supplies and resources to clean up Fallbrook.

If anyone would like to be a part of this important effort, there is a “contact me” form available on the FBA website for volunteers indicate their interest, and they will be personally contacted by a member of the group. Volunteers may choose to help out in their own neighborhood with graffiti removal and trash pick-up, or to help out where needed most.

Submitted by Fallbrook Beautification Alliance.