Graffiti vandals creep into National Parks

[boondockdad]

just as evil mockingly apes what is good
that is what graffiti is to art

[J. Morgan]

There is only one way to handle graffiti...

Paint it out, or otherwise obliterate it instantly.

When the "artists" are deprived the thrill of showing their handiwork to their friends, they find another target.

It is no wonder they have found national parks as a canvas, it will take the government six months to get the paperwork to approve abatement, and then another six months to bid the job, and then multiple inspection stops before the contractor can finish up.

The "artist" will have about three years to show off his handy work..



When my building is "hit" the "art" is gone before noon the first business day.

I have been hit about four times in thirty years. Not bad for a perfect and unprotected white canvas with excellent major highway exposure...


1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow

[n2916s]

In Yellowstone, the two major forms of graffiti are names/symbols carved into man-made objects like benches and railings and similar markings made in the bacterial mats that surround many hot springs and pools.

Unless the damage to man-made objects is truly objectionable or affects structural integrity, it stays in place until the next overhaul. The maintenance people just don't have the people or money to replace things that are defaced but functional.

The bacterial mats will self-repair but it takes a long, long time. If something is truly trashed, the biologists might considering trimming out the damaged section but they really, really hate to interfere with nature

The park near my winter home, BIscayne NP, is next to a city of three million. The park facilities are vandalized regularly, a lot of marine creatures are poached and quite a few of the wreck sites on the outer reef have been pilfered. Big park with easy access, a handful of Rangers = a park that is degrading slowly but constantly.

Common sense is a misnomer. Sense isn't common.

Mike

[cwf]

"You ain't got the sense God gave a crowbar!"

Follow the vandal to the parking lot and scratch his name on his car.

[boondockdad]

Originally Posted by Msmoto

While my emotions get carried away with what I would like to do to those who are malicious in their behavior, this is probably not the path to a solution. The value system they are demonstrating was formulated years before in families, or at least whatever family figure was present. It is this venue where the practice of love for our fellows and nature needs to be taught. Trying to undo the current aberrant behavior by punishment has no demonstrable effect.

Maybe we can attempt to set a positive example......

The problem is, a significant amount of vandalism in the urban areas is perpetrated by 'suburbanites' from 'good homes'. There was recently a story in the local paper of several high school aged girls from very affluent communities, who were caught and prosecuted for vandalism.
A quick googlefu returns many similar cites.

[eubank]

Maybe shaming would work?

Do You Know the Hikers Vandalizing the Grand Canyon? | Modern Hiker


Lynn

[McDave]

Every human action has a root cause. When people deface public spaces, whether buildings or natural formations, they know they are doing something that will cause a negative reaction in everyone who sees it other than fellow abusers. Clearly, part of their reward is knowing this, and the bigger the negative reaction, the greater the reward. Why would someone feel rewarded by causing people he didn't know to feel anger? Your guesses are as good as mine, of course, but I would guess the people who do this feel angry, ignored, and helpless. They feel like our society, perhaps our whole world, is crumbling, and whatever they put on the walls of Yosemite or Yellowstone is no more significant than if they put it on the walls of the sinking Titanic. They don't feel able to change the events that they see as destroying the world; they simply feel ignored, powerless, and feel like making some kind of statement, in the same way a man might ask for a cigarette before facing a firing squad.

I'm not saying their feelings are a valid reflection of the state of the world, although they may be, and personally, I really wish they wouldn't do it, but that probably is their motivation, however prescient or misguided it may be.

[mocus]

A lot of these kids(?), don't require a reason. It seems to be the modern type of "thinking." It is their way of having fun, e.g., "spring break," on a Florida beach. It seems as though some will do anything, and I mean, anything, as long as it is against the law or civilized human nature. What's there to do, who knows. One thing is for sure, you'll never see someone step out of an Airstream to draw on a wall, I'll bet'cha.

[mayco]

I was the superintendent of our city's park district for twelve years and fighting graffiti was a daily battle. As someone mentioned in an earlier post, we found that the most effective means to deal with it was to remove it IMMEDIATELY. (If at all possible). Operating under the theory that it is an attention seeking behavior, We did our best to remove it before there was any public attention drawn to it. Of course that wasnt always possible but we did our best. It doesnt stop the problem but at least we prevent the vandal from getting what they want, attention.
Personally, like so many other behavior problems today, I feel that prevention starts in the home. Teaching our kids about respect for themselves and others. But thats a whole discussion in itself.

Mike

[dayner]

Well said Mike

[boondockdad]

Originally Posted by McDave

Every human action has a root cause. When people deface public spaces, whether buildings or natural formations, they know they are doing something that will cause a negative reaction in everyone who sees it other than fellow abusers. Clearly, part of their reward is knowing this, and the bigger the negative reaction, the greater the reward. Why would someone feel rewarded by causing people he didn't know to feel anger? Your guesses are as good as mine, of course, but I would guess the people who do this feel angry, ignored, and helpless. They feel like our society, perhaps our whole world, is crumbling, and whatever they put on the walls of Yosemite or Yellowstone is no more significant than if they put it on the walls of the sinking Titanic. They don't feel able to change the events that they see as destroying the world; they simply feel ignored, powerless, and feel like making some kind of statement, in the same way a man might ask for a cigarette before facing a firing squad.

I'm not saying their feelings are a valid reflection of the state of the world, although they may be, and personally, I really wish they wouldn't do it, but that probably is their motivation, however prescient or misguided it may be.

That was heavy.

Although, I knew a guy in college, that I discovered one night after a soiree, was a "tagger". He looked at it as 'civil disobedience'. He was a gen-x'er, with privilege coming out his nose, who wanted to 'make a statement'.
The next day (I couldn't afford a cellular phone at the time, and there were no functioning payphones in this particular area) I called Detroit police to report him, and they hung up on me.

[xrvr]

Thugs, vandals, taggers all feel as if they have done nothing wrong because they have never been caught and punished. Social media, television, music etc that encourage tis type of behavior as long as you feel it is the right thing to to make a point are at fault. Immoral behavior encouraged by the idea you can't be caught or if you are you are not punished is totally wrong. What's wrong is wrong, what's illegal is illegal. There's no gray area here. By the time you are old enough to do these things you are old enough to face the punishment. Disrespect is learned at home. We have more than one generation now with no respect for justice or authority. As I experience in the late sixtys and early seventys the anarchist ideology is rearing its ugly head again. Graffiti is only the tip of a much larger problem.. Sorry for the rant. Jim

[boondockdad]

I think you're right on.

However, I see vandalism as wrong.. evil in itself... not just illegal, because there's some law against it.

Some laws shouldn't be enforced or observed (Looking forward to reading this).

But, vandalism has no value whatsoever.

[AWCHIEF]

Some statements made here just make me shake my head in befuddlement.

[paiceman]

We found names etc etched and painted into rocks way back into Arche's NP last fall when going on a Jeep Trail. Way back. We also found centuries old carvings in the rocks.

[xrvr]

Which statements befuddled you? Jim

[boondockdad]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

Some statements made here just make me shake my head in befuddlement.

Yeah, share your thoughts 'Chief

I'd like to know your take.. I've always appreciated your comments elsewhere.

[eubank]

It has been noted by some that the mission of the NPS has a fundamental contradiction, and I think that was essentially what we're seeing in this thread.

Begin with a fundamentally true fact about humans: Most are great, but some are troublemakers. The mission statement, unfortunately, does not recognize this fact: "...to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such
means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." The result is that damage will happen, and it will continue to happen. Short of changing the mission by either giving up on protection or limiting access, there is little that can be done besides trying to educate
.


Lynn

[r carl]

Maybe the police can give them a paycheck every week they stay out of trouble. Good chance that's what their parents did. I better stop here..

[eubank]

It's going to be a pretty tough problem to solve. Here are some rough numbers to ponder. Of course, these numbers are misleading in lots of ways; nonetheless, they do suggest that using police to control behavior in the parks is probably a lost cause.

First just a few of the US national parks by square miles:

Death Valley: 5,269 square miles
Yellowstone: 3,468 square miles
Grand canyon: 1,902 square miles
Big Bend: 1,252 square miles
Yosemite: 1,189 square miles
Great Smokey Mountains: 814 square miles

For ALL of the national parks/monuments in this country, we have a total of 580 NPS police officers.

Just to put things in perspective, here are a couple of our larger cites by square miles:

Los Angeles: 469 square miles
New York City: 469 square miles
Chicago: 228 square miles

The United States has over 1.1 million police officers on patrol.

Lynn