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By Hanne Armstrong

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There are concerns in Moncton about the recent surge of graffiti which has been appearing on public and private property. Downtown Moncton Centre-ville Incorporated wants a clear message of no-tolerance sent to those responsible for this vandalism.

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Ron LeBlanc, programs coordinator for DMCI, cleans up some of the graffiti which is becoming a problem in downtown Moncton.

"It's worse than last summer," says Executive Director of Downtown Moncton Daniel Allain. "It's worse than I've seen it in five years, and we don't want it to get out of control."

Panhandling and loitering are down so far this season, but the criminal act of graffiti is poised to become a real problem. Under the Criminal Code of Canada, people who commit illegal acts of graffiti can be charged with mischief, and the punishment can range from probation and/or a fine for first offenders, to time in prison if the offender has a substantial record of other offences. Actual sentencing is at the discretion of the presiding judge.

"Acts of graffiti, like any other criminal acts, need to be reported," says Constable Damien Theriault of the local RCMP. "Even reporting after the fact can help, because these graffiti vandals tend to stay in the same area, and we can increase patrols in the area."

Why does this recent spate of graffiti get such vigorous attention? Several reasons, according to DMCI. The graffiti under discussion isn't what is termed 'urban art.' It's 'tags,' or an identifying logo or word, and isn't an attractive plus to any surface it's painted on. If it was left in place, the appearance and reputation of the downtown could suffer, as could property values and the public sense of security.

"DCMI is working for our community, trying to project an image that attracts business developers and tourism," says Daniel. "Graffiti like this, if we leave it, gives the impression that no one cares and we don't want that reputation."

So, wanting to preserve Moncton as an attractive location, the DCMI removes graffiti within two to three days of identifying it. But the removal doesn't come cheaply. In a recent two-week period, between $4,000 and $5,000 was spent by the DCMI on getting rid of graffiti. That figure doesn't include expenses incurred by property owners who removed it themselves. The spray cans of removal agent are quite expensive, and when you add time and labour, graffiti can be a costly problem.

Preferable to removal is the elimination of acts of graffiti vandalism, and DCMI has a few suggestions.

These include increased lighting, graffiti-resistant sealant, planting thorny bushes or building barriers, and even providing a mutually agreeable graffiti site to the perpetrators.

Just who are the people responsible for this mischief? Constable Theriault doesn't point the finger at any particular group or part of society, but Daniel doesn't hesitate, referring to statistics, to identify the perpetrators as being 90 per cent male youth.

"If these people want to sit down with us," he says, "we'd be willing to talk to them about giving them a wall or a space somewhere to do their graffiti. This is something that has been discussed at our monthly Downtown Moncton Security Roundtable, but nothing will be done without input from the graffiti artists." Other cities have, with varying degrees of success, reduced the amount of unwanted graffiti by giving graffiti artists places to spray their creations into being. But Constable Theriault points out that there is a difference between the 'tags' appearing in Moncton, and art. He and Daniel agree that what we're seeing at the present is more in the nature of declarations that 'I was here', than it is art. Giving space for painting graffiti is, perhaps, something to consider, however.

In the meantime 'tags' keep appearing, and the cost of removing them keeps rising. The public is asked to become involved and report graffiti, whether it's already done or being done, to the RCMP at 857-2400.

"We're working with the City by-law enforcement department as well as the RCMP on this," says Daniel. "It's a community problem that needs a community solution, and that's why we'd like the public to help."