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Graffiti in Seattle

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Graffiti in Seattle in June 2020

Graffiti is a cause of disagreement among residents of Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington.

Legality

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In 2023, a federal judge temporarily stopped Seattle police from making graffiti-related arrests.[1][2][3] The ruling was appealed by a city attorney.[4][5]

Prevalence

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According to Crosscut.com, reports of graffiti filed by the public increased by more than 50 percent between 2019 and 2021. City agencies removed 5,000 and 8,700 tags in 2019 and 2021, respectively.[6] In 2023, Gary Horcher of KIRO-TV said there were approximately 20,000 reports of graffiti in 2021 and wrote, "Seattle has been covered in more graffiti, and more graffiti is being covered up — at a higher cost to taxpayers — than ever before."[7] Graffiti is often seen along Interstate 5.[8]

Removal efforts

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Worker removing graffiti at the corner of Pike and Harvard, 1999

Seattle Public Utilities created the Graffiti Rangers team in 1994 in an effort to remove graffiti on public property.[9]

In October 2022, mayor Bruce Harrell announced the "One Seattle Graffiti Plan" to reduce graffiti as part of a larger city beautification project.[10] Ahead of the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Harrell relaunched the Graffiti Abatement Partnership, to focus on graffiti removal in downtown Seattle and the Chinatown–International District.[10][11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Judge blocks Seattle from making vandalism arrests, citing censorship concerns". The Seattle Times. 2023-06-14. Archived from the original on 2023-09-08. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  2. ^ "Judge clarifies graffiti injunction, allows Seattle to make certain arrests". The Seattle Times. 2023-06-15. Archived from the original on 2023-09-08. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  3. ^ "Judge clarifies property damage still illegal in Seattle; graffiti will not be prosecuted". KIRO 7 News Seattle. 2023-06-15. Archived from the original on 2023-06-19. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  4. ^ "Seattle City Attorney appeals judge's pause on graffiti enforcement". KIRO 7 News Seattle. 2023-07-07. Archived from the original on 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  5. ^ Harris, Jeremy (2023-07-06). "Seattle city attorney appeals federal injunction blocking enforcement of graffiti law". KOMO News. Archived from the original on 2023-09-08. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  6. ^ Vansynghel, Margo. "Can Seattle's mayor win his tough-on-graffiti game of tag? | Crosscut". crosscut.com. Archived from the original on 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  7. ^ "Graffiti: Vandalism or crimes of art? Seattle mayor, 'graffiti influencer' have similar solutions". KIRO 7 News Seattle. 2023-03-02. Archived from the original on 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  8. ^ Esteban, Michelle (2023-09-05). "Taggers use state equipment as Seattle's graffiti problem worsens along I-5". KOMO News. Archived from the original on 2023-09-08. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  9. ^ Keimig, Jas. "Seattle's Graffiti Culture War". The Stranger. Archived from the original on 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  10. ^ a b Moreno, Joel (2023-06-27). "Seattle launches renewed effort to erase graffiti in downtown, CID ahead of All-Star Week". KOMO News. Archived from the original on 2023-06-29. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  11. ^ Oxley, Dyer (2023-06-27). "Seattle relaunches graffiti cleanup effort". www.kuow.org. Archived from the original on 2023-07-03. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
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