Man Goes On Mission To Fight Graffiti

BOSTON -- A Mission Hill man is on a mission to fight graffiti in his neighborhood.

NewsCenter 5's Shiba Russell reported that Bob Francey said that once he cleans up one spot in the neighborhood, vandals strike another, and now he's turning to the city for help.

"I might (paint over) five spaces here and then get around the corner and find 100 more," Francey said.

He keeps close tabs on his block of Delle Avenue, snapping pictures and sending e-mails to the mayor and phoning the city's Graffiti Busters. He said that the free program is overwhelmed.

"Graffiti Busters comes out and they clean everything up, and the very same night the graffiti comes back, and so we don't have any time without graffiti," Francey said.

Francey works to cover up the graffiti that is sprayed on houses and mailboxes.

Some said that one way to catch the taggers is to set up surveillance cameras. It may sound like an expensive proposition, but city officials said that there's much more involved.

"It gets into a civil liberties discussion and sort of veers into Big Brother is always watching, but I have to point out to people that this is 2006, and there are cameras just about everywhere you go," City Councilor John Tobin said.

Tobin is behind a new ordinance that requires landlords to remove graffiti from their buildings or face a fine. He agreed that surveillance cameras would help crack down on taggers, but he said for now, people living in hot spots should stick together.

The mayor's office echoed the call and vowed to work with residents to find new ways to prevent the problem.