Police make two arrests related to Ann Arbor graffiti problem
- Updated story: Ann Arbor teenager suspected in graffiti tagging arraigned on felony vandalism charge
Two Ann Arbor men suspected of tagging property around the city with graffiti were tagged themselves late last week after being arrested on felony vandalism charges.
Ann Arbor police officers arrested a 17-year-old city resident Thursday for spray-painting a building at 220 Felch Street in mid-March, according to Lt. Renee Bush. Police also arrested an 18-year-old man on Saturday after police received a call from a witness who saw the man vandalizing a playground in the 1400 block of Granada Avenue, Bush said.
This graffiti appeared at 220 Felch Street just days after Robert Cleveland paid $3,000 to have previous graffiti removed.
Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com
Robert Cleveland, owner of 220 Felch Street, said he was pleased at the news of the arrests, especially the arrest of the man accused of tagging his building just days after he spent $3,000 to clean it. He praised police for their investigation and called on the court system to dole out appropriate punishment.
“It’s the judges’ turn,” he said. “In a lot of these cases, the judges want to broom it out and bounce it off, throw a fine at them and that’s it. The judges need to to find some way to maximize the impact so they don’t continue to do it. If there’s no real repercussion, they’ll be out doing it again.”
The arrests come after a lengthy investigation into the graffiti problem that’s been costing business and property owners around the city thousands of dollars. Neither man has been arraigned on the charges, so their names were not released by police.
Bush said the 17-year-old man was arrested Thursday after Detectives Bernard Tucker and Craig Lee had developed enough of a case to get a search warrant for the man’s home. Bush said spray paint cans, paint pens and electronics showing evidence of graffiti were seized from the home during the search.
The man is suspected of tagging Cleveland’s building sometime between 6 p.m. on March 10 and 7:30 a.m. on March 14. Cleveland’s building was cleaned of all graffiti on March 10 and, just days later, the building was vandalized again — not only with spray paint but with tags etched into the skylight on top of the building.
The 17-year-old man is set to be arraigned on a charge of malicious destruction of property more than $1,000 but less than $20,000. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Cleveland said he’s considering a civil suit against the man as well.
“The responsibility doesn’t being and end with the AAPD or the city — individual property owners need to take up the cause too,” he said. “Hopefully at least a few other property owners in town will take the lead as well and take their own civil actions. Maybe we’ll reach a critical mass where these kids and their parents realize this just isn’t worth it any more.”
John Minock, who owns a building in the 300 block of East Liberty Street, said he was pleased to hear the news of the arrest as well. Minock believes his building been victimized by the 17-year-old man’s tagging as well and he’ll be looking to get restitution through any criminal case brought against him.
“I’m glad the person who tags as Gexir has been arrested because three panes of glass at our office building have been etched with that name,” he said.
The second arrest came after a witness notified police a man was vandalizing the play structure in Las Vegas Park, Bush said.
Police responded to the park at 1:50 p.m. Saturday looking for a silver vehicle, the description given for the suspect’s car. Officers Jason Kitts and Kevin Kleitsch looked up a similar report from March 23, with a matching vehicle description, and went to the address of that report’s suspect, Bush said.
The officers arrested the man at that residence after he matched the description given by the caller, Bush said. Tucker continued the investigation and determined the man had tagged a trash can and a pole leading up to a row of swing bar handles, according to Bush.
The 18-year-old Ann Arbor man is yet to be arraigned, but is expected to be charged with malicious destruction of property more than $1,000 but less than $20,000 as well, Bush said.
While the arrests may not stop the city’s graffiti issues immediately, Cleveland hopes a message gets sent to vandals — and their parents.
“There’s culpability, not just with the individuals but with their parents too,” he said. “Surely their parents know what’s going on, and for them to not step in and take action … they should be taking responsibility for this.”
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
geeb
Sun, Aug 5, 2012 : 9:58 p.m.
Ay, so for all the people hoping he gets locked up, he didn't.
lefty48197
Sat, Apr 21, 2012 : 7:40 p.m.
Fines and community service will NOT be enough to get these punks to stop. They MUST be thrown in jail. 30 days isn't enough. 45-60 days should be the minimum. THAT will get their attention and STOP them from vandalizing any more structures. I applaud the property owners that file civil lawsuits against these brats. I'm guessing the court system won't have to guts to jail these punks, but civil lawsuits can create a lot of well deserved hell in their lives. DO IT!
Fred J. Gruber
Thu, Apr 5, 2012 : 1:27 a.m.
Please, don't call them taggers. That's too cute. Tagging sounds like a legitimate form of expression, which it is not. It is vandalism. It is inconsiderate. It is selfish. It is narcissistic. It hurts people.
Fred J. Gruber
Thu, Apr 5, 2012 : 1:26 a.m.
Please, don't call them taggers. That's too cute. Tagging sounds like a legitimate form of expression, which it is not. It is vandalism. It is inconsiderate. It is selfish. It is narcissistic. It hurts people.
pbehjatnia
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 11:58 p.m.
Destruction of property is not art. I hope he is fined to the max and gets a tether with community service.
tinkerbell
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 11:25 p.m.
Attorney John Minock should have to represent them. That's real punishment
leezee
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 2:15 p.m.
I would be more than willing to throw some dough in a reward pot for the capture and prosecution of DMC. He/she is, by far, the worst offender. Someone has to know who this person is and should make that information known to law enforcement.
Davidian
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 11:47 a.m.
I am so sick of people making excuses for taggers. A brick wall isn't public property where any jerk can spray paint whatever they feel like. Some tagging is legit art, but 99.99% of it is just crap. Give them 6 months and jail and force them to pay full restitution. They won't do it again.
Grey Man
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 11:16 a.m.
While I am certainly no fan of any form of graffitti, some of the comments shown here shock me. What is the difference between the garbage that these people painted and the garbage painted on the overpass near Argo pond on N. Main Street? I mean, isn't this what you Ann Arbor citizens are all about? Isn't this "freedom of expression" and "Art"? I say that it all looks like garbage, including the so-called artistic stacked rocks by Argo pond as well.
SMC
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 2:54 p.m.
The rocks in the park won't cost thousands of dollars to un-stack.
Goober
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 7:29 a.m.
Ann Arbor is starting to look like many of the Chicago neighborhoods that border their transit system - all covered in street art. How can anyone complain about the AA street art, as this is one of the top priorities of our city council and city leaders - funnel hard earned tax dollars into art funds. It is sad to see this happen to Ann Arbor.
JRW
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 2:36 a.m.
Once they are arraigned, let's see photos and names.
jcj
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 2:50 a.m.
I'll second that!
grye
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 2:25 a.m.
Lots of interesting comments and replies. Felony? Not sure. Jail time? You bet. Follow it up with a year of cleaning up other graffiti in Ann Arbor and local surrounding cities. You sick of cleaning up after others, it will break your own habit.
Robert Hughes
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 1:54 a.m.
I actually don't think graffiti, by and large, is a problem.
jcj
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 2:50 a.m.
"I actually don't think ..." And neither do the vandals!
JRW
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 2:41 a.m.
Ever take a walk in one of the city's parks and see one of the memorial benches at Gallup Park defaced with spray paint? The park tries to clean it off, but it still shows up due to the benches being wood. Or walk in the park under the Huron Parkway bridge and see tons of graffiti on both sides, totally disgusting. Or walk around the west side of A2 and see all the street and stop signs defaced. Or walk around West Park or Burns Park and see the graffiti on street posts. Or drive around town and see all of the communication boxes defaced. It trashes the town and homeowners and business owners have to pay to get it removed. Drive down pretty much any street in downtown A2 and look around. You'll see the graffiti everywhere. I do think it's a problem. Why should any town allow this?
SMC
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 1:59 a.m.
Spoken like someone who has never had their house, car, or place of business vandalized.
G-Man
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 1:32 a.m.
Someone has to see these people possessing spray paint! Who is selling it to them? Do not the parents see them with spray paint? Come on parents..WAKE UP!!!!!
Kitty O'Brien
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 1:15 a.m.
This isn't graffiti. It's vandalism.
CPLtownie
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 12:50 a.m.
Finally, a smack down. Felony, jail time, fines, cleaning chain gang, whatever. Just as long as it isn't swept under the rug slap on the wrists because mummy and daddy can write out a check. Too bad if their right to legally own a gun is gone. Seriously, thats the last thing people should be concerned with. They took away property owners rights to having unadulterated buildings, didn't they? They took the Ann Arbor's rights to a clean city away, didn't they? They last thing they need is to have a chance to switch from angsty tagging to raging shooting. Perhaps the parents can help direct their kid's 'angst' - like perhaps making them work a job, or volunteer - contribute in a healthy manner - since they have so much idle time to focus on their 'inner turmoil.'
Ray Flower
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 12:40 a.m.
Yes, they should learn there are consequences to their actions. Make them pay court costs, clean up costs (in this case 3k) and restitution for the time and energy required to deal with their act (I'd suggest whatever it cost to clean up...so in this case an EXTRA 3k) That sounds fair to get a iighter sentance. If you can't afford to pay, you'll pay in prison. Can't afford the fine, dont' do the crime. Learn it now.
JRW
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 2:29 a.m.
Their parents would pay the fines for them, most likely, to avoid these overindulged little kids any jail time.....I say send them to jail for a while to teach them a lesson and show them and other vandals that there are consequences for criminal acts. Why haven't we heard who these perps are?
Gardener1
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 12:01 a.m.
It would be wonderful to get the vandalism cleaned up. The city was starting to look like a dump with all those signs and buildings having scribbling on them. Ann Arbor needs a no tolerance policy. Property owners should be encouraged to clean it up but not fined heavily. It will be great if the property owners can get restitution from the vandals.
Stephen Landes
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 10:42 p.m.
Sentence them to cleaning up ALL of their destructive efforts. Paying money is too easy -- make them sandblast, scrub, scrape, paint, patch, and repair as long as it takes them to complete it. I worked for a school system one summer and part of our work was to clean up after these vandals. It is miserable work -- hot and dirty -- so a fitting task for these criminals to be assigned to.
zax
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 10:41 p.m.
What about that Zinn guy who puts little cartoon people on sidewalks and such? where does it start, and where does it end?
CPLtownie
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 12:40 a.m.
Need a lesson between chalk and spray paint?
coolhandluke
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 11:57 p.m.
That is awesome. Gexir is where it ends
Stephen Landes
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 10:42 p.m.
That is vandalism, too. Write him up and put him to work CLEANING.
JRW
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 10:34 p.m.
Anyone who thinks that graffiti is ART, needs to have these punks go to their home and spray some of this ART on their home and car with black spray paint. I'd be interested in hearing how they like that. Do you think it's still ART? I live in the A2 neighborhood that was vandalized by these punks last fall, with houses and cars sprayed with this so-called ART using black spray paint. It is a criminal felony and I hope these punks are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, including cleaning all of the graffiti from all the sites in A2.
Rational1
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 10:29 p.m.
The media always reports the maximum penalty for a "felony." The reality is, first, second and third time property-crime offenders generally get probation. I think most of us would be happy if they had to repair the damage they caused (whether prosecuted for it or not) and pay restitution in time or money.
Davidian
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 11:49 a.m.
Would you be happy with that if one of these kids spray painted that crap all over your house and car? You would be out for blood like everyone else.
JRW
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 10:38 p.m.
They need to be prosecuted for it. They need to have criminal records. They need some real consequences. Yes, they should also clean it up, using a toothbrush on a 90 degree day. Ha. That will get their attention. No coddling here, folks. Otherwise, you risk these punks getting off with probation and laughing all the way to the store to buy more spray paint and go to their next little graffiti party. Where are the parents????
Dave66
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 10:11 p.m.
Sue the parents. Sue them into the ground. Bankrupt them and toss them out on the street. Then every time Junior wants to come home for Thanksgiving, they can meet at the soup kitchen. Make an example out of enough parents, and eventually they'll be so terrified of their own darling babies, they'll actually exercise a little parental supervision and keep them out of trouble.
Davidian
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 11:50 a.m.
No. Sue the kids that did the damage. It's called personal responsibility. These kids are old enough to know better.
JRW
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 9:58 p.m.
"It's the judges' turn," he said. "In a lot of these cases, the judges want to broom it out and bounce it off, throw a fine at them and that's it. The judges need to to find some way to maximize the impact so they don't continue to do it. If there's no real repercussion, they'll be out doing it again." OK! Let's see some real punishment here. Only two perps have been caught of the many perps out there who are defacing and ruining public and private property all around the city. Prison time, stiff fines and responsibility for cleaning up ALL of the graffiti around the city. That would take many months. Oh yeah, that's right, it's A2. Only a slap on the wrist and begging from parents who will tall the judge "they are only kids." NO they are not kids, they are fully grown adults and need to pay the piper and spend some time in jail, with a felony record that will follow them in life, just like anyone else who commits a felony. NO slap on the wrist! How about some photos and NAMES of these perps!
LittleVoice
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 9:34 p.m.
We've had our building tagged twice and there's no way that's ART! That's defacing someone's PRIVATE PROPERTY! It's about time some of them have been caught! Now let's find, "DMC" and have him share in the CLEAN-UP, JAIL TIME and FINES! Don't consider this, "Case Closed!"
JRW
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 10:02 p.m.
I'm with you. These punks are all over town with their spray cans and it is NOT ART in any situation. It is defacement and vandalism. Hope they serve jail time and have to clean all of the graffiti around town, which is substantial.
Greg M
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 9:33 p.m.
Why put them in jail? That's just punishing the tax payers who have to front the money for their stay. If I were the judge, I would have ordered community service. There are plenty of ways the community could save money with his generous donation of time. They may do a little better job in weighing the consequences in the future. It would be a simple magic number of "100." That would be 100 hours/ week of community service if they are jobless. If they have a job, adjust hours so that they have a total of 100 hours worked between community service and their job. On top of that, make them wear a sign that announces their crime 24/7. They must also pay back damages to the property owner...Between 100 hrs. a week for 3 months and a sign for humiliation, it may put him on the road to recovery for a more fruitful contribution to society in the future. If not, the penalties could be a lot stiffer until he has a revelation.
julieswhimsies
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 9:24 p.m.
Oh, for cryin' out loud. HEY! A2 police! There's a rapist still out there!
julieswhimsies
Wed, Apr 4, 2012 : 12:46 a.m.
At the moment, the people who are whining the loudest are the anti-graffiti people. The powers that be will see to it that the biggest complainers will have their problems solved. There is no way of knowing what evidence the police have, or do not have on the rapist.
SMC
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 2:56 p.m.
I just love it when people feel they know how to police the city better than the police. If it were that easy, they'd be doing it.
tdw
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 10:06 p.m.
Soooo...... seeing that you must be a crime investigation expert, if they have nothing to go on exactly what should they doing ? With all the cuts lately they had to return their crystal ball
Burgundy Reagan
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 9:06 p.m.
Maybe they can all hang out at the skate park said to be built in Veterans Park. "Tag" there all they want, but leave the city, including the west side, alone!
Carole
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 8:55 p.m.
Frankly, they should be made to clean up their mess and any others in the surrounding area. They also should do considerable community service work. Paying a fine is just a slap on the wrist -- having to do some "labor" might be more effective.
Dog Guy
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 8:47 p.m.
Apparently there is a graffiti park at Hill and Washtenaw.
Stephen Lange Ranzini
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 8:21 p.m.
If you are curious how NYC dramatically reduced the amount of graffiti in their city, read this article: www.cooperator.com/articles/1201/1/The-Mayor8217s-Anti-Graffiti-Task-Force/Page1.html Personally, my recollection of those days was that sentencing the kids to clean off the graffiti (not just theirs but also their rivals') to work off their public service was the most effective deterrent. I hope the judge gets creative with a similar sentence!
Diane
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 8:14 p.m.
Way to go!! We were in Europe last year & it's very common over there & it looks terrible.
G-Man
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 1:37 a.m.
Good place for it... all the "American Haters" can look at it......
Roadman
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 8:04 p.m.
What I found as ironic is that John Minock is a criminal defense attorney. He does a lot of federal court practice. I think felony charges for these youths are too hefty; although I would like to see restitution paid to the victms or their insurer in the event someone is found guilty.
Kitty O'Brien
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 9:03 p.m.
You'd think the last building they'd try and deface would be that belonging to a respected former sheriff and attorney in the community.
dogpaddle
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 7:59 p.m.
Marcus, I partially agree with you and partially don't. No matter how you slice this, it's still a felony and correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe a 17 year old "can" be tried as an adult. Now, you're right, I don't believe a young person who makes a stupid mistake should face career problems the rest of his or her life. However, not able to legally own a gun? Honestly, last on my list of things to be concerned about is whether this person who vandalizes property with spray paint cans pointed at something they shouldn't be gets to exercise his or her 2nd Amendment right to own a gun. What if he or she should point said gun at the wrong object? How about no gun ownership ever and no jail time this once? But lots of community service cleaning graffiti would be appropriate. I just don't feel sorry for whomever not being able to own a gun. Too bad.
CPLtownie
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 12:39 a.m.
Like I said in another comment, owning a gun is a priviledged right, however, these junior adults gave up that privilege when they took someone else's rights to clean property. Let the smack down begin.
poohbah
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 7:40 p.m.
I really like the idea of establishing a graffiti park or parks. Areas where graffiti is welcomed and maintained (at least for a while before it's "over-graffitied") The claim is that graffiti is "art" and I agree, in part. Some of it is really amazing in concept and execution, e.g. the mural at State and Liberty that started out with the permission of the property owner. If it is art, then that brings it into the purview of "public art." Think of the money AA government can save by embracing this concept and reducing the budget of the Public Arts Committee! Seriously!!
laura wolf
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 1:23 a.m.
we already have 'the rock' on washtenaw and hill that everyone and anyone slops paint on. i doubt any more spots would help. glad not to see gexir ever again but i miss the cartoon airplane at miller/maple
Dee chapell
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 7:36 p.m.
These people should help to clean up graffiti and pay for the cleaning supplies and the person that will be supervising them.
SMC
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 9:11 p.m.
I'd be happy to supervise them, free of charge.
olddog
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 7:25 p.m.
If this man/child is craving notoriety, then he should have it. Allow him to work off his debt to society this summer wearing a T-Shirt with his graffiti on it. Other authors are correct felony is way over board. The expense we incur each time we send someone to jail is astronomical. We need more work gangs for these juvenile offenders. Yes I understand there is a cost to supervise these gangs but it is small compared to jail time.
ArgoC
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 7:22 p.m.
Nice job AAPD! AnnArbor.com, how about not dignifying this with the words "tagging" and "graffiti"which (to me) sound pretty minor and even hip. It's vandalism.
motorcycleminer
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 7:17 p.m.
Bout time ..make em clean it up with a toothbrush and then fine the parents for the damages to the property ...a pillory would be more approiate but this is OZ and we pay big bucks for " ART " that in many cases looks just as bad....
G-Man
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 1:40 a.m.
I think they should have to clean it using their fingernails.......
Rod Johnson
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 10:41 p.m.
You don't actually need to know anything at all. You're just Some Guy venting on the internet. The justice system is taking care of it--I'm pretty sure if they need your input they'll be in touch.
JRW
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 10:04 p.m.
Need to know who these perps are. I hope the parents don't succeed in keeping the names and photos of these perps off of A2 dot com.
linuxtuxguy
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 6:56 p.m.
"The responsibility doesn't being and end with the AAPD..." I think the word you are looking for is "begin"
ArthGuinness
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 6:42 p.m.
What's pictured above is not "art" in any sense of the word. Not that it would be okay if it was.
Wolf's Bane
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 6:24 p.m.
Congratulations on the arrest, but five years in prison? Pleeeaaassseeeeee! This is Ann Arbor. I would make them clean the playground and property and be done with it.
JRW
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 10:05 p.m.
Slaps on the wrist do not stop this vandalism. These punks need real consequences which will send a message to other vandals.
Marcus Watt
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 5:35 p.m.
Felony? Really. So they can never legally own a gun, job/career screwed, and in some states lose right to vote...Seems excessive. Then they go to jail and learn how to further be a criminal, which means they sure arent in school. Simply put together a graffitti team of those caught tagging, and they spend the next six months on call to clean up all graffitti found around the city. Business owners make a call, reports graffitti and those that have been caught go clean it up. Many of these people know each other, and I am sure they would put the kabbash on their buddies further having them spend weekends cleaning graffitti. With that said, having toured many citites in the states and Europe, I have found some great graffitti parks where people can express themselves in this medium, which can make for some great Art. thats my 2 cents.
G-Man
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 1:43 a.m.
Dude doesn't need a gun and NOT the person i ever want to see carrying! He should have thought about what he could lose BEFORE he committed a FELONY!
CPLtownie
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 12:33 a.m.
Owning a gun is a privileged right. Dunno about you, but a spoiled indulged kid that can't properly direct their angst is the last person I want to see with a gun in their hand when (if) they get one legally. Spray paint can be removed, bullets are a bit harder to erase.
Marcus Watt
Tue, Apr 3, 2012 : 12:01 a.m.
With 5% of the worlds population and 25% of the worlds prisoners (we are slowly encroaching on Stalins incarceration rates and soon to surpass them btw) obviously incarcerating people is not the solution. It is very shortsighted to simply say "lock em up" they are criminals. We need community based solutions that force offenders to be confronted by nameless and faceless that they harm....putting them on a graffiti clean up task force would help these kids to see the damage they cause. The alternative is incarceration to the tune of 40k a year paid for by the tax payer. Then there are the intangibles....education, attitude, counsel by other professional criminals leading to further nefarious behavior, etc. I just dont see the wisdom in the "lock em up" mentality. sorry.
JRW
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 10:08 p.m.
Yes, a felony. That's what it is. It's criminal vandalism. Teach these punks a lesson or it will continue around the city. If it follows them for life with a criminal record, then perhaps they should have thought of that before spraying people's homes, cars, public property, parks, playground equipment, street signs with their gross and ugly spray paint. It's destructive and criminal.
nekm1
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 7:10 p.m.
Wow...can't believe I am agreeing with someone who sounds like they lean a little to the left. I agree, make the kids examples for all, and put them to work! Heck, pay them a stipened, but have them clean all graffitti found in the city! Takes the whole "it takes a village" thought to a new level. In this case, it takes a whole village to be cleaned up before you have done your time.
mcdunnough
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 5:33 p.m.
In the last article about this, Gexir's father had the nerve to make comments about this type of art enhancing someone's day. I don't see him making comments now. Williamson has it right. This is just an over-indulged brat. I'd like to see him, and his parents, out scrubbing buildings for the summer.
JRW
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 10:09 p.m.
Bingo. An overindulged brat who is a criminal punk. Spend some time in jail, levy a stiff fine and make them clean it off all of the buildings and property around the city. I can provide a LONG list of sites that have been damaged.
GirlNextDoor
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 9:49 p.m.
If Gexir's father was brazen enough to be bragging about his son's work, I agree with you that he should be helping his son clean up graffiti. Hope dad's got deep pockets, too!
Harry
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 5:23 p.m.
No prison time. Have them work 40 hours a week for the next 6 months cleaning spray paint off buildings and whatever else the owners/courts need done.
djm12652
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 5:28 p.m.
I guess they would at least be productive members of the community, at least until time served...they are ARTISTs...right?
drut_ferguson
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 4:58 p.m.
Maybe the punishment for graffiti should be that the owner of the vandalized building gets to draw a bunch of pictures of his or her choice on the perpetrator's face in black permanent marker every day for a year...
Rosarium
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 8:23 p.m.
That brought a chuckle, I would tend to think most people wouldn't even notice the drawing on the average offender's face.
Robert Williamson
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 4:40 p.m.
The 17 year old is not a man, he is just a spoiled brat that is taking is frustrations out on whatever he can, because he can. To end this problem, the courts must impose a penalty of jail time starting with 5 days and for every time after add 5 days and parents should have to pay a fine of $500 first time, after $1,000 and if those kids have any respect for their parents or themselves, they will not do this any more.
Sparty
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 6:24 p.m.
Convict as an adult!
djm12652
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 5:30 p.m.
I agree but you last part..." if those kids have any respect for their parents or themselves, they will not do this any more" is a big statement to make...cuz IF a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his butt when he jumped.."
Harry
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 5:25 p.m.
Your way too easy on them. 5 days at Juvy watching TV and playing ping pong? Also $500 to a lot of people is nothing but the inconvience of writing the check.
Superior Twp voter
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 4:39 p.m.
GREAT JOB AA PD! That's police work.
rusty shackelford
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 4:25 p.m.
I said it once and I'll say it again: stick to MS Paint in your mom's basement. Color printers are surprisingly affordable theses day s. Dudes, you're from ANN ARBOR; you ain't that hard.
DonBee
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 4:22 p.m.
I hope the judge sentences them to a summer of washing buildings. If they spend the whole summer removing other people's tags, maybe they won't do it again. And, maybe they will set an example to the other taggers - get caught spend your free time removing the paint. There is an alley downtown they can start in.
Jef Porkins
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 4:20 p.m.
Hopefully the 2nd arrest was that "MEKAN" hack. It's one thing to tag up street signs and back alleys, but these toys tag up small businesses that will receive tickets if they don't clean up their horrible "art". Clean up can be costly, as the article discusses. Both Gexir and Mekan tagged my house multiple times. Why? Go do that to Wal-Mart, don't take it out on your neighbors.
JRW
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 10:11 p.m.
NONE of the graffiti is acceptable anywhere. It's a crime, it's destructive and it's a felony.
Sparty
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 6:23 p.m.
Encouraging them to vandalize businesses ?
rusty shackelford
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 4:24 p.m.
cosigned
Youwhine
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 4:17 p.m.
You can only write your own first name a few thousand times arund town before somebody starts to catch on.
KMHall
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 9:17 p.m.
Sadly begging for attention?
garrisondyer
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 4:15 p.m.
I don't understand why the law doesn't force the perp to pay back the sum total of all cleaning/repair costs of their previous graffiti tags.... Accountability anyone?
JRW
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 10:12 p.m.
Let's hope they don't get M Morris as the judge. Is she retired yet?????
5c0++ H4d13y
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 9:18 p.m.
I would imagine the judge could impose that if s/he wanted to.
SMC
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 8:59 p.m.
The punishment for the crime should be that they have to clean up anyone's graffiti, not just their own. If someone decides they need to make the town look dirty, their punishment should involve cleaning it up, and not just the part they illegally painted. Civic pride has to start somewhere.
Jimmy McNulty
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 7:14 p.m.
I'm sure the police are building the strongest case they can. As long as it can be proven that the previous tags were theirs, then I am sure cleanup costs would be considered. However, the burden of proof still rests with the city.
djm12652
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 5:54 p.m.
Restitution? Really? If these "alleged" taggers had any money, they would have bought art supplies and become real artists...yeah I know they ARE artists...just a different medium... property belonging to others. I do wonder though, does a tagger tag one's own home?
smokeblwr
Mon, Apr 2, 2012 : 4:11 p.m.
So is "tagging" a disease like pyromania? Tagomania? Hopefully some pmita jail time will cure them.