Vandal spray-paints anarchy symbols on homes, cars, school in Ann Arbor
This symbol was spray-painted on a neighborhood watch sign at Ferdon Road and Brockman Boulevard in Ann Arbor.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
Ann Arbor police Lt. Renee Bush said all of the vandalism occurred between 6 and 9 p.m. Saturday. Bush said 14 anarchy symbols were spray-painted onto homes, windows, vehicles, spare tires, garages, retaining walls and Pattengill Elementary School. One license plate on a vehicle was also spray painted completely black, Bush said.
The crimes occurred in the 1900, 2000 and 2100 blocks of Crestland Drive, 2700 block of Brockman Boulevard, 2000 block of Anderson Avenue, the 2000 block of Carhart Road and in the 2000 and 2100 blocks of Hall Avenue, Bush said. The vandalism at Pattengill Elementary School has since been cleaned up, Bush said.
The anarchy symbol is generally drawn as a large A with a circle around it. All of the symbols were painted in black, Bush said.
The incidents are still under investigation. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Ann Arbor police anonymous tip line at 734-794-6939.
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
Sallyxyz
Sat, Nov 26, 2011 : 10:28 p.m.
This is a disgusting destruction of property. The graffiti around the city has been increasing dramatically, and I suspect the same thugs are responsible, whether it's this 8 block area, or all of the communication boxes around town that have been covered and recovered with graffiti, the downtown buildings, under Gallup park bridges, and on and on. I see it all over town, and the thugs keep spraying their mess after it's been removed or painted over. Just look at the communication boxes that have been painted over and over and are still covered with graffiti, or look at the bridges at Gallup Park, same situation. It's going to be difficult to catch these idiots in the act, that's why they are so successful and destructive. Private homeowners and auto owners have to pay out of pocket to have it removed, and the rest of us pay through taxes for the city to repeatedly remove this blight. Keep your eyes open and report any vandalism to the police. I hope they catch these thugs but I'm doubtful. They just keep on painting their crud and laughing all the way to the hardware store to buy more paint. Here's an idea: all the stores in the area should not sell spray paint to anyone under 21. Maybe that would slow then down.
mugwump
Sat, Nov 26, 2011 : 6:07 p.m.
Anarchy. That is so cool.
Sallyxyz
Sat, Nov 26, 2011 : 10:29 p.m.
Not if it results in destruction of property.
Berda Green
Fri, Nov 25, 2011 : 6:43 p.m.
they need to catch them or him plzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Wilford John Presler IV
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 3:46 p.m.
Children
newsboy
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 2:55 p.m.
Went to the anarchists meeting last week and it was absolute chaos!
Louhi
Fri, Nov 25, 2011 : 7:13 p.m.
Did it start on TIme?
jns131
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 4:26 p.m.
How are they doing by the way? Still occupying Wall Street?
a2citizen
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 2:34 p.m.
@Elaine F.Owsley: Elaine, I think you are giving them too much credit. They were spotted the "A".
Elaine F. Owsley
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 1:41 p.m.
Perhaps they have limited intelligence and only know the alphabet that far.
Salinemary
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 3:10 a.m.
I reported similar graffiti vandalism on the retaining wall for the creek in the 3100 block of S. State St. on November 7. The vandalism had to have happened the weekend of November 5-6, because it wasn't there Friday when we left work. The graffiti is still there.
a2citizen
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 1:32 a.m.
I don't want to tell the police how to do their job but I'm sure a check of the local stores that sold spray paint last Saturday might reveal the culprit. Because Patengill was painted I have an idea where the perp goes/went to school.
jns131
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 4:28 p.m.
Pattengill has a lot of children who come from broken homes. Especially up by Stone School and Eisenhower area. Mine went there and that was the biggest mistake I ever made. I tell people to choose a different elementary then this one. Sorry to hear they got vandalized. But I am not surprised by it.
Ron Granger
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 1:22 a.m.
Oh jeez. For years I've thought that was the symbol for Ann Arbor. I've been putting it everywhere. Sorry!
arborani
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 4:59 p.m.
Best post in this thread.
Mick52
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 12:04 a.m.
Pretty bold of these hooligans to do this between 6 and 9 pm when most folks are still awake. If I caught some punk doing this to my garage door it would be.............anarchy.
Ann English
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 12:54 a.m.
Just after the time change, 2 1/2 weeks ago. We're still awake between 6 and 9 pm, but with the time back on standard time, it gets dark sooner and won't start getting any lighter until after December 22. I don't think any of us in our discussions about crime increasing after the time change considered vandals taking advantage of the earlier sunsets.
tim
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 11:44 p.m.
Maybe the kids of the kids that sprayed the same sign thirty years ago.
Joe_Citizen
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 10:20 p.m.
Why do you suppose they are doing this Anarchy advertising? Is the milieu of our country gone so far as to where Anarchy looks good to what we have been offering? You can clean up the messes, but I can bet it will not stop any time soon. There is bad air from what our leaders are doing and the youths can smell it, and have to pay for it too. I think most people who have closed minds, and sit in front of their pro Corporate Controlled TV's, and eat all the stuff it feeds us through Corporate Controlled Government laws. Is there any one who can define what state our nation is in, or are we going to just eat it and say yummy can I have another. People look around you, and let reality set in to your consienceness. I say if Anarchy is wrong, please explain why, and what we are doing better. to just sit there and pass judgement on something you have no clue of, is a waste of everyone's time.
Elaine F. Owsley
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 1:46 p.m.
If you don't like what you see around you, you have the option to leave. That, Joe, is FREEDOM. There are lots of places in the world that could give you a real feel for what anarchy is all about. For the love of heave, go try them!!
Lovaduck
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 11:57 p.m.
Do you really know what Anarchism is? Have you read Bakunin, Kropotkin, Robert Paul Wolff. I bet it's just something that "sounds good" to you (sorry if I'm wrong)! Can you name the differences between an individual anarchist and a communal anarchist? Betcha' can't! Do you understand the differences between early Marxist thought and Anarchism and why Marx threw all the anarchists out of the International? I'd be interested in what you really know, as apart from sloganeering.
RTFM
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 10:09 p.m.
Are we sure this is not a part of the City's 1% of the budget art program?
aawolve
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 9:36 p.m.
If actual anarchy were ever to come about, supposed anarchists would be the first to go.
Joe_Citizen
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 10:05 p.m.
HUH? I don't get it, so please explain this like you would a three year old. I need a some support of this claim too. I really am not a supporter of Anarchy, but I just may if you have all the right answers. Please do tell!
xmo
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 8:39 p.m.
Was this funded by the city of Ann Arbor ART funds?
Joe_Citizen
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 9:48 p.m.
Get'em Tiger!
bedrog
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 8:29 p.m.
Re grafftistas and dante marcos: even a room temperature i.q. should nowadays recognize that anarchy ain't all it 's cracked up to be, given anarchists , be they militia types, OWSers in all their inchoate diversity, Egyptian arab springers ( in an orgy of self destruction) , or whatever. Some things are bad, but nothing is not automatically better ....especially to a good cup of coffee and a danish. ( re the snide Starbucks reference by DM). I hope they catch the vandals and punish them.
J
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 8:11 p.m.
What hasn't been reported is the vandals then proceeded to spray paint "B" on signs, followed by "C" and "D" and so on. We should be thankful this forward-thinking individual took an active role in "No Child Left Behind."
a2citizen
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 1:33 a.m.
Maybe the culprit used letters because that person could not count.
Les Gov
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 8:09 p.m.
Just remember....here in Ann Arbor....the victims have seven days to clean this graffiti at their own expense or the city will bill them for the clean up..... "Under the ordinance, property owners are required to remove graffiti within seven calendar days after notice from the city. If the owner does not remove the graffiti, then the city may remove the graffiti and bill the property owner for the work." <a href="http://annarbor.com/news/ann-arbor-officials-announce-crackdown-on-graffiti-to-combat-growing-nuisance/">http://annarbor.com/news/ann-arbor-officials-announce-crackdown-on-graffiti-to-combat-growing-nuisance/</a> The City Council believes in imposing fines on the victims, not going after the criminal. Why, because the victim is easier to find which allows the city to collect funds faster.......Only in Ann Arbor would one believe that it is more appropriate to punish the victim than to try to help the victim.
yua
Fri, Nov 25, 2011 : 5:25 p.m.
Ok, so let's say the city "helps" by cleaning it up, and does not bill the owner. Then, we all pay for it, because it's paid for by our taxes. So someone is going to be "punished", using your term, no matter what. Obviously this makes no sense. Either the property owner must pay for cleanup, or everyone must pay. There is no free lunch here.
average joe
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 2:46 p.m.
Mick- @"...the city has no right to come and clean it off." Correct, but only if you don't live in a historic district.
Mick52
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 11:59 p.m.
I do not think the city has the right to go onto personal property and remove spray paint. For example, if I considered myself an "artist" and I did a Jackson Pollack on my garage door, the city has no right to come and clean it off. That is not graffiti, that is art. The article you refer to is generally based on downtown spray painting on commercial buildings. I am not sure that would stand up to a private residence. That said, I am sure most people will remove it anyway.
kulse012
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 7:37 p.m.
Well since the vandals are so fond of anarchy I suggest when/if they are apprehended we skip the trial and go straight to sentencing. That's what anarchy is all about right? Who needs the constitution and rights when you've got chaos and anarchy they want so bad!
Mick52
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 11:54 p.m.
That is so funny kulse. Yes lets open a can of anarchy on them in lieu of a trial.
Joe_Citizen
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 9:46 p.m.
Maybe it's the other way around. Maybe with all the corporate government control and greed, that just may make us all guilty of this anarchy your talking about. I mean each and every corp. is it's own hierarchy, isn't it. They make their own rules, and they can deeply inflict your constitutional rights. We fight for freedom, and there really is no freedom if you work for a living. Everyone thinks we are free, but with all the profiling and anti sector right violations all over. What, you call this freedom. Take a look around, smell the white elephant dung all around us.
Dante Marcos
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 6:53 p.m.
Circled A's are a lot less ugly than Starbucks logos.
Ron Granger
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 1:22 a.m.
The starbucks logos are on the litter I frequently see tossed on the ground.
Lovaduck
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 11:51 p.m.
And the relevance of your comment is..........? Do the Starbucks people grafitti peoples businesses, homes, etc.? Talk about apples and oranges!
a2citizen
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 9:52 p.m.
Painted on your house?
bunnyabbot
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 8:01 p.m.
I don't favor starbucks at all, aside from litter their logos don't appear as "graffiti"
RJA
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 6:40 p.m.
Hopefully when this vandal/vandals are caught he/they are made to clean up the crime sites. When he/they finish this task put him/them on the county roads to clean up all the trash and debris left by litter-ers.
Mick52
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 11:51 p.m.
No, you don't make them clean it, you make them pay for the cost of highly paid unionized workers to clean it.
Joe_Citizen
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 9:37 p.m.
I doubt they will be made to clean anything, because of the cities unions, and workers. The union is to blame why inmate can't do what the city workers are paid to do. Also, the city has contracts with private company's to do paint, and that also includes pain removal. So, it is hard to get the work done for free, or by the criminals who did it.
Jhonny
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 6:13 p.m.
The 99ers at it again.
a2citizen
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 3:46 p.m.
No, Enso. That's not what I think. And spray painting the homes of hardworking people cannot be justified, no matter how much you believe in the redistribution of wealth. I don't wasting my time and energy bemoaning the wealth of others. But I'm sure you think that if someone is born at homeplate they are entitled to a homerun even though they have never swung the bat or even played in the game.
Enso
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 2:39 a.m.
a2citizen, maybe if we the people just confiscated the vast majority of the wealth of billionaires like paris hilton and kim kardashian, and snookie, many of the country's problems would be solved. but, im sure you think those born on third base hit a triple.
a2citizen
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 9:57 p.m.
Enso, maybe if they didn't spend their money on spray paint the wouldn't be struggling to make ends meet.
Enso
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 8:43 p.m.
Jhonny is an idolizer of the ultrawealthy. He is implying that people without jobs and struggling to make ends meet are spray painting anarchy symbols.
Peter
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 8:38 p.m.
Who do you mean by that?