New Low for Graffiti "Artists" UPDATED x2

We here at BoogieDowner have no problem with graffiti as a creative outlet, so long as it is done in a respectful, artistic way in appropriate areas (e.g. Bronx-based Tats Cru's work found all over the City). However, the recent uptick in ugly tags around Bedford Park has us feeling a bit frustrated. In recent months we've noticed more graffiti not only on mailboxes, garages, and storefronts, but also on residential homes. Didn't there used to be some sort of unspoken agreement that graffiti writers wouldn't hit people's private homes back in the day, or am I imagining that?

Well, when we pulled onto the Mosholu Parkway after exiting the Bronx River Parkway this past Sunday, we were disgusted to see that taggers had vandalized the beautiful World War I monument at the Hull Avenue intersection. What always stood as a beautiful commemorative piece now looks like this:
This is an outrageous display of brazen disregard for the honor of our country and those who put their lives on the line to fight for it. So what do we do to fix this problem?

First off, Bedford Park residents need to call 311 ASAP to log complaints about the defacement of the World War I monument. Once you get the complaint number at the end of the phone call, please send an email to Community Board 7 (info@bronxcb7.info) asking them to please follow up on the issue and provide the complaint number you were given. Be forewarned: my 311 call took a whopping 20 minutes to complete. The operators are having trouble understanding what space the monument is located within and Mosholu Parkway isn't showing up in their system. The key is to keep telling them that the land is maintained by the Parks Department, that way they know where to refer the complaint. Tell them it's the intersection of Mosholu Parkway and Hull Avenue.

If you see graffiti around your neighborhood that needs to be cleaned up, get involved with local community groups and alert your local Councilmember (they can help through the Graffiti Free NYC program) to the problems.

There's a vacant garage here on 201st Street that is a huge target for graffiti and we were always completely frustrated by it. So we asked Bedford Mosholu Community Association what we could do about it and were happy to learn that they would secure paint and supplies for us to use to clean the garage doors up. We painted the place, and after about a month it was hit by taggers again. So we simply went right out and painted over the tags immediately, and it's been about another month or so and it's still clean. It's kind of fun - we monitor it like it's our baby and love walking past it and seeing it cleaned up. Here she is, in all her clean glory:

(We're eventually going to paint the brick as well )

If you see graffiti on the uptick in your hood, get involved. Talk to your elected officials, community groups, or even your building's super. You just never know what resources are out there to help you get sites cleaned up.

Update #1: A statement from Mr. Fernando Tirado, CB7 District Manager:
If people go to www.BronxCB7.info and click on the “Submit a Complaint” link, not only can they report complaints to us 24 hours a day, they can also get a reference number for their record and call or e-mail us to request the status of their complaint. The database also allows people to input their 311 complaint number, which we strongly encourage people to do because it gets registered on the city’s system and we can research the status online.

Update #2: The monument has been cleaned!!!!!!!!
This must be a citywide record for graffiti cleanup. The monument was vandalized just this past weekend, and sometime today, Tuesday, the site was powerwashed and restored to its former glory! Big ups to Community Board 7 and the Parks Department for their diligence concerning this matter. Here she is, all cleaned up:
~ErLu