Of all of the so-called "nuisance" crimes, graffiti is up there on the list of most discouraging, and cancerous to any community. Once graffiti takes hold of a community, and the residents give in to this vandalism -- and accept it as an inevitable part of life -- it opens the door to other forms of vandalism.
The WRBA has received an increasing number of complaints from residents about graffiti, and it will need to be one of the quality of life issues that gets tackled going forward. This weekend, we drove around Woodhaven and took photos of some examples of graffiti -- these photos were taken in the space of less than an hour. By showing these locations, please understand we are not picking on these homes -- quite the contrary. They are the victims of a crime. And they need the neighborhood to stand by their side.
Garages are frequent targets -- but the vandals will truly target anything as you'll see in the pictures below. The purpose of this update isn't to discourage current residents -- instead, it should get them angry -- and hopefully, we'll get some folks who see this and want to step up and be a part of the solution. If you are one of those folks -- come out to one of Woodhaven's Town Halls, and indicate your interest. Note: Woodhaven's Town Halls are usually held at the offices of our Ambulance Corps. But this month, we will be meeting at Emmanuel Church at 91st Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard. The meeting is on Wednesday June 16th 2010 at 8 PM. Click here for more information.
What follows are pictures that were taken -- mostly from our car -- all over Woodhaven.
I would think that we should start with a "graffiti committee" -- a group of residents that would document and list all instances of graffiti vandalism in the neighborhood. Most of this work could be done by car -- with one person driving and one person taking notes.
Ugly isn't it? There are organizations and public officials that have tackled graffiti in the past -- but only a concerted effort with the involvement of our community will turn the tide against this eyesore.
How discouraging is it to walk through your doors every day -- that graffiti vandalism greet you every morning? Even if you don't live there -- as a neighbor, just passing by. We shouldn't have to live with this -- we shouldn't accept it. Don't just get mad -- do something about it. Get involved.
In many instances, it was obvious the owners had made previous attempts to clean it up -- only to get tagged again. That really sucks. And that's where we'll have to put our heads together -- think outside the box -- and maybe come up with ideas that haven't been tried before. This will no doubt give rise to more folks tut-tutting about what's happened to Woodhaven -- but this one time, they're right -- and it's stuff like this that makes sections of our community look like a slum. Folks who drive through Woodhaven once every six months are shocked by the vandalism -- but it could be that the residents who live here, who pass by it every day, become "immune" to it's effects. They walk right past it and never take notice. Hopefully, this update will awaken some people -- they will sit up and take notice. And they'll find themselves wanting to make a difference. Had enough? This update is just scratching the surface -- come out to one of the WRBA Town Hall meetings and get involved -- be a part of the solution.
We show a lot of beauty on this site -- because there is a lot to be proud of in Woodhaven.
In this update, we're looking at the warts and all.
There are strength in numbers -- and together, we can come up with solutions to this blight. We'll leave you with this last photo -- it wasn't taken in Woodhaven, it's just across the border in Richmond Hill. But it's an example of what can happen if we let the current problems continue with no reaction. This house is across the street from a school. Hundreds of kids see this every day. What lesson are they learning from this? What lesson are the children in our own community learning when they walk to PS 60 -- or St. Thomas the Apostle -- or PS 97 -- and they see one of the 50+ examples above of vandalism unchecked? You know what they learn? They learn that it's normal. Let's change that perception. If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com .
