KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Members of a Kansas City, Mo., neighborhood met on Saturday to learn about a city graffiti removal program that gives them the power to take care of the problem on their own.
“The community needs our help,” said John Parks, Code Enforcement Manager for the City of Kansas City, Mo. “A lot of the neighborhoods, especially the smaller ones, just don’t have the resources to buy this kind of expensive equipment.
Lynda Callon, Director of Westside Community Action Network, was one of dozens who came to Saturday’s training. Callon said where she lives graffiti is a chronic problem.
“Graffiti is like a pebble in your shoe and you’ve got to stand on your feel all day long,” Callon said. “It’s everywhere. it’s just literally everywhere. In fact, before we got here, one of our police officers texted me about a wall we just covered up and there’s graffiti on it. Somebody saw somebody do it last night.”
Neighborhood groups, like Callon’s, can now contact the city and rent powerwashers and the chemicals to get rid of the graffiti on their own.
Callon calls it a good start. The city said it’s one piece to the puzzle, adding their still trying to stop taggers before they spray.
To learn more about Kansas City Missouri’s Neighborhood Graffiti Abatement Program, click here.