Santa ana passes strick anti grafitti law (San Diego, Riverside: rental, crimes)

[Coldjensens]

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=6947033

This new law should help control gafitti blight in Santa Ana. It is supposedly the most strict and coprehnesive anti-grafitti law in California. A step int he right direction!

[EscapeCalifornia]

30 years too late.

[cobmw]

Gee why didn't they think of that sooner? Pass a law against grafitti and it will go away. You think these young thugs have any respect for the law? Many of them have been in and out of jail all their lives. It's against the law to do grafitti now. Another law will suddenly make them shape up? The only possible cure for this problem would be draconian punishment administered swiftly by the courts. Never going to happen in a state run by Democrats. Ever drive though LA and see the razor wire protecting the freeway signs? That's where OC is headed.

[jksouthbay88]

OC has nothing compared to LA,Philladel or NYC.Can it blow up to that?Of course.But there is no epidemic from what I see and have heard about OC.Right direction though.I always wondered why Orange County does not have the razor wire?San Diego County has it on about 70% of our signs,LA about 85,Riverside and San Bernandino County has them as well.But I do not see them in Orange County.Weird.

[Coldjensens]

This does nto just make graffitti illegal. It has been illegal for a long time. Under the new law, parents can be made to pay the cost of cleaning up the graffitti. That is a great move. It may help discourage the wannabe bangers before they become criminals. Gangbanging often starts with graffitti. That is how they get young kids involved. It is exciting and fun and you get to see your work on the sign or wall or whatever for weeks after the event. Then they move on to bigger and better crimes.

Every City should adopt this ordinance as long as it holds up. Let the parents take responsibility for not raising their children and hit them where it will get their attention.

[Reivax]

If forcing a parent to be fiscally responsible for their child made a better parent, California parents would be best on Earth! Is there even an ounce of evidence that this is the case?

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by Reivax

If forcing a parent to be fiscally responsible for their child made a better parent, California parents would be best on Earth! Is there even an ounce of evidence that this is the case?

It does not make them be a better parent, but it will force them to pay attention to what their kid is doing. Normally they can just ignore their kids (and many do) and do not much care if they get into trouble. Now if their kid causes trouble, it comes back on them. This concept is how Santa Ana got a lot of their gang problem resolved. If you have a rental full of gang bangers, go after the landlord financially. Otherwise all the absentee landlords tend to just ignore things as long as they are making money in the short term. You have to get their ateention.

Parents are the same way. Many parents are effectively absentee parents. Howevr if it will suddenly cost them something, they have an incentive to make sure that their kid does not do the act where otherwise they have no incentive at all. Now they need to extnd this to other forms of vandalism and possibly even to crimes. If an underage kid commits a crime, they may get off with a week in juvi, but their parents should have to pay damages. Puts an end to the "i do nto care what my kid does to someone else" attitude in a hurry.

[cobmw]

I still say that the only effective method is to dole out severe punishment the very first time these punks are caught shoplifting. Make them afraid to getting involved with the legal system.

Here's a story told by Walter Williams a black economics professor at George Mason University.

Young Walt had a job as a shoe shine boy. On the way to work each day he would enjoy letting air out of car tires. He was letting the air out of the third tire on a Buick one day when he felt the huge impact from a boot on his bottom. He did not even turn to see who had hit him but grabbed his shoeshine kit and ran as fast as he could. He never again let the air out of tires. And to this day he cannot bend over at a service station to put air in his own tires without feeling uncomfortable about that boot perhaps lurking behind him.

Here's a guy with a common sense approach to youth crime. Give them punishment they will remember and do it swiftly. But he is so at odds with the pansy waist Democrats that run California. I wish I had the chance to vote for Williams for president over that joker we've got now, but too few would join me.

[Mach50]

How's this for punishment:

Mexico police accused of spray-painting teens

MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) - Four teenagers say police in a northern Mexican town spray-painted their hair, shoes and buttocks to teach them not to paint graffiti on public property.

[Coldjensens]

That is funny. I think that those cops should be commended, not suspended.

I tried to do that once. They painted gaffitti on our wall and the city painted over. The next night they painted it again and the city painted it over again. repeat one more time.

That night I got several cans of spray paint and sat behind the wall reading a book until 2 a.m. I was going to reach over the wall and paint them if they came back to paint the wall. They did nto return. Probably just as well.