See the KSLA TV News report on Graffiti removal in Downtown Shreveport.
Chances are good that while driving through downtown or city neighborhoods, you have seen something like this-
Or this…
Or this…
‘Taggers’ armed with spray paint hit signs, buildings, art murals, and recently even Sportran buses, and cause significant damage. The problems to historic buildings can be even more serious because power-washing to remove the paint can damage century-old masonry and mortar.
Shreveport Police are aggressive in their pursuit of the taggers and have arrested a man they believe is ‘Nova’. He is currently housed in Caddo Correctional Center charged with felony property damage. His original charges stem from allegedly defacing a west Shreveport apartment complex and several SporTran buses but other charges could be pending from damage done to nearly a dozen downtown buildings.
DSDC Graffiti Team member using Krud Kutter on Lake Street wall.
So what should you do if a building you own is tagged? Deal with it immediately. Law Enforcement officials and city graffiti abatement teams across the country stress that graffiti should be removed within 24-48 hours to prevent additional tags. When you look at downtown buildings on which graffiti was NOT removed in a timely manner, you see that once a building is hit, others think it is ‘O.K.’ to do the same. Soon, one tag is joined by others.
A downtown building that has been the target of multiple tags.
There are a number of products on the market to remove graffiti. We have had good luck with Krud Kutter (available at Morgan Tools, 939 Louisiana Ave.), a biodegradable product that is sprayed on, left for several hours and then washed off. More traditional methods include power washing (use the gentlest setting on historic buildings) or simply painting over the graffiti.
DSDC Graffiti Team member applying Krud Kutter on a traffic signal box downtown.
The Downtown Shreveport Development Corporation has created a Graffiti Removal team that has been removing graffiti from the public rights of way on city-owned buildings, traffic signal boxes, garbage cans, walls and other locations. They are available to remove graffiti on your downtown property. If you are interested in finding out whether the DSDC Graffiti Removal Team can assist you, call 222-7403.
