By Lee Guthrie
Graffiti has become a major problem in Tahlequah. City council members voted recently to construct an expensive fence to surround the pavilion near Norris Park, to curb the vandalism.
Skate park has also been defaced with rude messages and tags. Graffiti has also been painted on the old pumphouse and pavilion from when there was a city pool located in the area.
Brian Speake is the recreation supervisor for Tahlequah. He fights the illegal practice using scrub brushes and costly labor hours.
Speake stated that “I’ve even seen five-year-olds using the park.”
Speake is aware that graffiti will always be around and the city cannot keep up with the amateurs or taggers.
Speake stated that they come to the site often to clean up any offensive paint or to cover it.
Concrete is porous, so it’s difficult to remove the paint. Speake stated that the city had spent hundreds of dollars on graffiti removal last year. This does not include the time and labor put in by city workers.
The pavilion in Norris Park has been damaged to such an extent that Speake, along with Ray Hammons (the city’s compliance officer), presented to the council a proposal to surround the building using a fence made of wrought iron.
Hammons, at the council meeting on Oct. 2, said: “The most important thing going down there is vandalism and tagging.”
A vote of 3-1 was passed after a long discussion between the city’s staff and the council to proceed with the construction. Stephen Highers expressed concern about the cost of $71,000, a Ward 3 councilor.
He concluded his remarks by saying that he believed the problem was bigger than what a fence could fix.
At the meeting of the council, Highers stated that “These people will go somewhere else,” on the other side [of the fence] [or in the alleys with businesses]. Highers said at the council meeting that “we have a larger problem to solve and personally I do not believe this [answer] is it.”
The city leaders and staff do not have a definitive answer as to who was responsible for illegal spray-painting. There are differing opinions on whether the spray painting is by kids who want to show their individuality or by gangs.
Speake stated, “I’m not sure if the parents aren’t teaching their kids better or it is a gang-related issue.” If it is a matter of freedom, why don’t they do that at their parent’s house?
Kathy Ryals, a Tahlequah resident, responded to the Saturday Forum held on TDP’s Facebook page, Sept. 30, on how best to deal with the graffiti problem. She expressed the exact same opinion.
Ryals stated that those who condone graffiti and encourage it on public property, should offer their private property as a canvas first.
Nicholas Booth, Kelsey Muskrat, and Abby Hathaway enjoyed a Sunday skatepark in the sunshine. Many of their comments were in agreement with those who responded on the forum.
Muskrat and Hathaway liked the expressions and paintings, which they thought made the “area look less bland.”
Shelby Tannehill, a resident of Tahlequah, said in the forum that graffiti is “awesome”. It allows uncensored expression, which is something that we desperately need in the United States!
Muskrat thought the pavilion in the skatepark was an unnecessary waste of space.
Muskrat stated, “They should tear it down [the pavilion] because it is a mess.” There’s no substance in the pavilion.
At the meeting, it was suggested that cameras be installed for safety. However, nothing was agreed upon.
Booth, a skate park manager said: “We could use more cameras to deter people.”
Booth, who is a new transplant in Tahlequah and enjoys the skatepark, expressed his opinion that offensive words and tags shouldn’t be allowed, but loved the art pieces.
The forum allowed people to vote on questions about graffiti and skate parks, and the way the issue should be addressed. They also provided comments on possible solutions.
Kelly Anquoe is an artist from Tahlequah. She said the city knew that uncontrolled activity would occur when it built the park. David Dick agreed and said that the city was responsible for cleaning up until they found a solution to the problem.
Some people said that graffiti can be a great decoration in skate parks, as long as it isn’t inappropriate. Some suggested building a wall for artists to express themselves.
The respondents were divided on the issue. 36.5% of them said that they would do nothing, while 14.9% suggested that the culprits should be made to clean up the mess and offered incentives. 21.6% said the perpetrators should be punished and forced to clean up the mess. 6.8% said the department responsible for parks and recreation should occasionally clean up the mess. 5.4% were undecided.
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