Dog Walker
07-05-2008, 04:35 PM
A article in the current copy of the "Resident" gives only slight details of the arrest of a juvenile for putting spray paint graffiti on City Cycle and Whiteway Corner on Park Street. Here is more information:
Over the past couple of months, some distinctive graffiti pictographs and "tags" (stylized names and sayings) have been appearing on public and private property in Brooklyn, Riverside, Avondale, Murry Hill and the Roosevelt Mall area. In all, several dozen buildings and businesses were defaced. Among them were the dance studio on Park Street and Dancy, Chamblin's Bookmine, the Human Services Building on Park Street, Annie Lytle School #4, FCCJ Kent Campus and various places around the Roosevelt Mall. Property owners estimate that several thousand dollars of damage was done.
The style was distinctive as it is the intention of graffiti vandals is to be recognized by their peers for their creativity and for the daring and difficulty of the locations where there images are painted. That graffiti vandalism is illegal just adds to the thrill of doing it.
In early June, the extensive video surveillance camera installation that George Martin and property manager Roy Reeves placed around the Whiteway Corner Buildings recorded a juvenile spray painting his distinctive pictograph of a cloud with teeth on the side of the City Cycle building along with his tag, "PREZ". Also recorded was a blue Ford Ranger pickup truck whose driver participated by spray painting his tag, "SUDZ", but was not caught on tape with a spray can in his hand.
Thanks to the reward offered by the building owners on the fliers they distributed extensively and to the dedicated follow-up by a District 4 JSO patrol officer, the two individuals were identified. The patrol officer has asked not to be named individually as he was assisted by others in his Division, and does not wish to be seen as taking sole credit for the work.
The juvenile was arrested at his grandparent's house on June 13, booked downtown and released to his grandparents the same day. He is Michael Preston Nettles (PREZ), 17. His grandfather and many other members of his family are owners of machining and automotive businesses in this area.
The driver of the blue Ford Ranger pickup truck, license #W08 7JH, was identified as Justin Masud (SUDZ), 19. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=56728152.
He was detained and questioned by the JSO patrolman on his way into his job at the Romona/Lane Ave Office Depot. It was explained to him, that as an adult, he could be charged with multiple counts of property damage vandalism which would result in a felony charge. Faced with this prospect, Masud agreed to clean up or paint over all of the graffiti that he and Nettles had done. Nettles later agreed to assist him in this effort.
Over the past few weeks they did clean up what they could. Some of the graffiti was too dangerous to reach again and some was on brick too difficult to remove completely. Masud's father, George Masud, visited many of the sites after his son to be sure that the job had been done properly and that the property owners were satisfied.
Both of these bad children (they are not young men yet, although this experience might help them along!) regret very much that they were caught, and both seem to now understand that seriousness of what they have done. Masud has posted "Masud is no longer SUDZ" and "RIP SUDZ" on his myspace page and Nettles has posted "Preston PREZ is dead" on his myspace page. It is doubtful that they regret doing what they did and it is also doubtful that they will do it again.
Because of the involvement of their grandparents and parents it seems to be sinking in to them what they do affects their families as well. One hopes!
There are other graffiti vandal "crews" out there, but at least this prolific one has been stopped.
On a separate and more discouraging note; the State's Attorney's Office has stated that unless there is a clear videotape or a police witness to graffiti vandalism, they will decline to issue an arrest warrant or make any attempt to prosecute those involved. Even if someone is found with a backpack full of spray paint and paint on their index finger at 2:00 AM, the police have little recourse.
Put up cameras, real and decoys!
So, if graffiti appears on your building, take a picture of it with the time and date feature turned on and get the picture to the JSO Division in your area. Then, paint over or remove the graffiti IMMEDIATELY! Doing this removes the recognition and reward that the vandals are seeking. Studies have shown that when graffiti is removed within 48 hours, less than 5% of those sites are revisited.
See www.graffitihurts.org for more tips and information.
Over the past couple of months, some distinctive graffiti pictographs and "tags" (stylized names and sayings) have been appearing on public and private property in Brooklyn, Riverside, Avondale, Murry Hill and the Roosevelt Mall area. In all, several dozen buildings and businesses were defaced. Among them were the dance studio on Park Street and Dancy, Chamblin's Bookmine, the Human Services Building on Park Street, Annie Lytle School #4, FCCJ Kent Campus and various places around the Roosevelt Mall. Property owners estimate that several thousand dollars of damage was done.
The style was distinctive as it is the intention of graffiti vandals is to be recognized by their peers for their creativity and for the daring and difficulty of the locations where there images are painted. That graffiti vandalism is illegal just adds to the thrill of doing it.
In early June, the extensive video surveillance camera installation that George Martin and property manager Roy Reeves placed around the Whiteway Corner Buildings recorded a juvenile spray painting his distinctive pictograph of a cloud with teeth on the side of the City Cycle building along with his tag, "PREZ". Also recorded was a blue Ford Ranger pickup truck whose driver participated by spray painting his tag, "SUDZ", but was not caught on tape with a spray can in his hand.
Thanks to the reward offered by the building owners on the fliers they distributed extensively and to the dedicated follow-up by a District 4 JSO patrol officer, the two individuals were identified. The patrol officer has asked not to be named individually as he was assisted by others in his Division, and does not wish to be seen as taking sole credit for the work.
The juvenile was arrested at his grandparent's house on June 13, booked downtown and released to his grandparents the same day. He is Michael Preston Nettles (PREZ), 17. His grandfather and many other members of his family are owners of machining and automotive businesses in this area.
The driver of the blue Ford Ranger pickup truck, license #W08 7JH, was identified as Justin Masud (SUDZ), 19. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=56728152.
He was detained and questioned by the JSO patrolman on his way into his job at the Romona/Lane Ave Office Depot. It was explained to him, that as an adult, he could be charged with multiple counts of property damage vandalism which would result in a felony charge. Faced with this prospect, Masud agreed to clean up or paint over all of the graffiti that he and Nettles had done. Nettles later agreed to assist him in this effort.
Over the past few weeks they did clean up what they could. Some of the graffiti was too dangerous to reach again and some was on brick too difficult to remove completely. Masud's father, George Masud, visited many of the sites after his son to be sure that the job had been done properly and that the property owners were satisfied.
Both of these bad children (they are not young men yet, although this experience might help them along!) regret very much that they were caught, and both seem to now understand that seriousness of what they have done. Masud has posted "Masud is no longer SUDZ" and "RIP SUDZ" on his myspace page and Nettles has posted "Preston PREZ is dead" on his myspace page. It is doubtful that they regret doing what they did and it is also doubtful that they will do it again.
Because of the involvement of their grandparents and parents it seems to be sinking in to them what they do affects their families as well. One hopes!
There are other graffiti vandal "crews" out there, but at least this prolific one has been stopped.
On a separate and more discouraging note; the State's Attorney's Office has stated that unless there is a clear videotape or a police witness to graffiti vandalism, they will decline to issue an arrest warrant or make any attempt to prosecute those involved. Even if someone is found with a backpack full of spray paint and paint on their index finger at 2:00 AM, the police have little recourse.
Put up cameras, real and decoys!
So, if graffiti appears on your building, take a picture of it with the time and date feature turned on and get the picture to the JSO Division in your area. Then, paint over or remove the graffiti IMMEDIATELY! Doing this removes the recognition and reward that the vandals are seeking. Studies have shown that when graffiti is removed within 48 hours, less than 5% of those sites are revisited.
See www.graffitihurts.org for more tips and information.