FFWD Weekly
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News by Maureen McNamee Business say graffiti clean-up should be voluntary A proposed city bylaw that would fine property owners who don’t remove graffiti within two weeks has been sent back to administration for public consultation. The bylaw, which would fine those who commit the act (if they catch them) and the property owners who ignore it, was intended to discourage graffiti by removing it quickly – the city cited studies showing that removing graffiti quickly discourages vandals and helps prevent it from spreading to other nearby buildings. However, not everyone thinks all graffiti is vandalism or that it needs to be removed. At The Source skateboard and snowboard shop on 17th Avenue S.W., a blank brick wall behind the store has often been used as a canvas for taggers and graffiti artists. "We don’t really have a problem with it and I’m sure we even know some of the people that have done it," says Jim Eistetter, assistant manager. "We didn’t encourage just anything," he adds, noting that they would agree to remove offensive messages or language. "(But) if someone was going to put a nice piece of artwork out there we definitely would have encouraged it." Eistetter says no one ever complained about the graffiti behind the store, and he believes it should be up to businesses and property owners to decide whether or not they want it. "It’s not like they were defacing a monument or anything like that. It’s just a plain building that needed a little livening up." The proposed bylaw also drew opposition from the Progressive Group for Independent Business, which stated it would punish those who have already been victimized by vandals, and several property owners spoke out against it at a council meeting this week. It will return to the table after the consultation is completed.

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