Education and Prevention:
Gang Prevention
TOGETHER! has recently started a graffiti removal program, "Erase It: Record - Report - Remove."
Graffiti Facts
In the U.S., almost $12 million is spent every year cleaning up graffiti, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Graffiti can hurt your neighborhood in many ways. According to the National Association of Realtors, graffiti can lower a home's value by 15%. When graffiti is present and not removed, it invites more serious crimes to the area because it appears to be tolerated.
This can all be reduced with prompt removal and citizen reporting. By taking a picture of the graffiti and reporting it to your local law enforcement agency, then removing it, you can reduce the progression to more dangerous activity.
Graffiti does not mean gangs are in your neighborhood; however, by informing law enforcement of the activity and acting quickly to remove it, you prevent your neighborhood or park from becoming a welcome location for criminal activity.
What You Can Do
- Call (360-493-2230 x20) or email TOGETHER! for supplies – we’ll give you the material to paint or remove the graffiti in your neighborhood.
- Organize a cleanup event
- Become a supervisor for the community service youth involved in the Erase It program.
- Attend one of TOGETHER!'s cleanup events. Contact us if you'd like to volunteer.
Thank You to:
Rodda Paint in Lacey for helping with materials in our cleanup efforts
The Thurston County Sheriff's Office for their coordinated efforts to address graffiti in Thurston County.
Learn More about Graffiti
- Graffiti Hurts: Organize a cleanup and learn more
- Thurston County Gang Enforcement: Gang information specific to Thurston County, from the Sheriff's Office
Our first clean-up event went great!
Teens and TOGETHER! staff have helped clean graffiti from several locations in the community.
For more information please contact us.
Mailing Address
TOGETHER!
418 Carpenter Rd. SE Ste 203
Lacey, WA 98503
Phone
(360) 493-2230 ext 20