San Bernardino demands anti-tagging law

San Bernardino demands anti-tagging law
Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 08/05/2009 02:52:35 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO - Mayor Pat Morris announced Wednesday that he wants city officials to prepare a new law that would hold parents liable if their their minor children are found guilty of graffiti-related crimes.

"Graffiti is really a senseless act, much like drug use ... I think it becomes a high for them (taggers)," Morris said.

Morris said the best deterrent against graffiti is parental involvement and discipline. He wants the proposed law to be ready for City Council review in 45 days.

"It's really important that we move on this with some deliberate speed," he said.

The mayor reports that he asked City Manager Charles McNeely and Police Chief Keith Kilmer to model a new law on a Santa Ana ordinance.

Santa Ana's law allows the city to hold the parent or legal guardian of a tagger liable for all fines. If fines are not paid, the city can place liens on the adults' property. Santa Ana can also make taggers pay restitution.

Morris said Santa Ana's law requires parents of vandals to accompany their children in at least 40 hours of community service and he would want San Bernardino to impose a similar penalty.

If graffiti is not the number one complaint of San Bernardino residents, it's near the top of the list. In May, Morris said he wanted to enhance the city's enforcement of nuisance-type crimes when he declared his plans to seek re-election.

Morris said the timing of the proposal is not related to the upcoming campaign.

"We've been working on this for some time," the mayor said.

DAMN THATS FUCKED...I THOUGHT THE $1,000+ FINE WAS BAD NOW THEY WANNA GO AFTER YOUR FAM...

lol

I DONT THINK THE LOCAL YOUTH IN SANTA ANA HAVE THE SAME NEEDS OF THOSE IN THE SAN BERNARDINO. HOW ABOUT GIVING THESE YOUNG ARTIST MORE OUTLETS. IF THEY CAN GET DOWN THEY SHOULD HAVE OUTLETS AVAILABLE LIKE THE WALLS IN VENICE BEACH. i REMEBER BACK IN THE DAYS POMONA DID SOMETHING SIMILAR IN OLD TOWN, WHERE THEY SET UP TEMP. WALLS AND GAVE THEM A GREEN LIGHT FOR ANY GRAFFITI. SOME AREN'T EVEN INTO TAGGING, THESE KIDS ARE JUST BORED OUT OF THEIR MINDS SO GO OUT AND TRY TO GET KNOWN. THESE ARE THE YOUTH THAT WE SHOULD BE INVESTING IN B4 THE LOCAL NHD STARTS RECRUITING.

^THAT MIGHT WORK BUT THE WALLS IN VENICE BEACH ARE ALOT DIFFERENT THAN THE ONES IN SB OR POMONA, SB HAS ALOT OF GANGS THAT WOULD END UP HITIN UP ON THE WALLS TO AND MORE BEEFS MIGHT COME FROM IT...IF I MEMBER RIGHT THEY STRATED TO PUT A STOP TO THE POMONA WALLS WHEN GANGS STARTED TO HIT UP AND WARS BROKE OUT SO I THINK THE SAME WOULD HAPPEN IN SB...

MORE OUTLETS WOULD BE GOOD AND CLEAN UP SOME PARKS ADD SOME AFTER SCHOOL/PARK PROGRAMS...BUT THEY WANNA TAKE OUT THE FAMILYS WHO THEY THINK ARE NO GOOD FOR THE AREA BECAUSE OF WHAT SOME YOUNGSTER WRITES ON A WALL...THATS HOW IT SEEMS TO ME ANYWAYS.