Graffiti can lower the average price of a house in a community but is that all the harm it causes in a community? Lately, the city of Maywood has been affected by graffiti drastically compared to past years.

      This has led people to ask if there is anything that can be done to prevent vandalism to occur in the first place. According to our mayor, Mr. Marquez, The city can’t do much but maybe just fine the person responsible for vandalizing and that is only if they get caught which is unlikely.

      A big question brought up is if graffiti is associated with a spike in crime rate. Mr. Marquez does not believe this is the case, saying “the tagging is usually caused by younger kids who are trying to fit in and be cool … I’ve learned that tagging is usually not the ones creating the crimes.”

      However, Evan Guzman, a Junior, believes that graffiti can result in violence. “It causes problems between gangs which can result in casualties or other problems. This can cause problems with the people in the neighborhood because they have to live in those gang territories” said Guzman.

      The funds allocated to clean the graffiti in this city are around 100,000 every year. These funds get spent on paint cover-ups and pressure washes depending on the surface of the material affected. “100,000 is too much money for cleaning [graffiti]. We can use that money for other stuff” said Marquez. 

      The majority of the public seems to agree or have similar views to our mayor when it comes to funds spent on graffiti cleaning. Danika Iniguez, a junior, says “I think it is too much because I feel like paint isn’t very expensive, and all you need to pressure wash is a pressure washer and water.”