Is graffiti a big problem in MSP? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: neighborhood, high school)

[bostonguy1960]

I was born in St. Paul and lived in the area until after kindergarten, in White Bear Lake.

My parents aren't from there, they're from Canada...so I'm not even sure if I'm "Minnesota" given that we moved to a few othe r states before high school graduation.

Anyway, I visited for a few days in May 1999, and liked the cities, even driving up to Duluth.

I noticed a bit of graffiti in Minneapolis and not much in St. Paul. I just hate illegal graffiti and am always pestering the city of Boston, via our 311 app, to clean it whenever I see it. One lady called me selfish for doing it; yes, it costs time and lots of money for the city to respond. She asked if I've been to Europe, seemingly implying it's seen everywhere there, and yet still desirable to live and visit European cities. Hmmm....

Will one see lots of tagging on roll-down security grates on storefront nowadays in MSP? Certain areas of Boston have them, and it's common to see major tagging all over them. Tourists don't see this since they're usually not roaming around at night when the grates are pulled over the storefronts. In fact, most visitors remark how beautiful and clean Boston is.

Yet it's so common to see rooftops and chimneys hit even in nice or historic areas in Boston. Forget the MassPike, Storrow Drive and some state highways -- lots of tagging. The walls along the subway tracks are disgraceful.

Do many rooftops get tagged in the Cities? Are the new subway lines passing by graffiti-marred buildings?

Do many of you just accept it as part of city life or even enjoy it?

AM I selfish or a good citizen when I report it?

Thanks.

[Glenfield]

There is some graffiti here but it's not the huge problem it is in some other urban areas. This is just a different kind of place, as evidenced by the fact that we don't have those big roll down steel security doors on our stores.

The city and the neighborhood associations have also been very proactive in anti-graffiti measures. For example, in my neighborhood in Minneapolis we've commissioned a number of murals on buildings that could be a problem. We also wrapped all the utility boxes in photographic art. As a result, you rarely see graffiti anymore.

One other thing. Most of the graffiti- at least here - is not some frustrated artists. It's from gangs tagging their territories. So yes, you should report it. Here, the owners of tagged buildings have a very short time to paint over any tagging or they themselves get ticketed by the city.