Most eradication was done by the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, church groups and civic organizations. The increased graffiti, often related to gang turf battles, calls for new tactics for clean up, prevention and education. For a graffiti eradication program to work, a major partnership has been established between owners and managers of public properties whereby the city removes the graffiti for other public entities and is reimbursed. In the greater Albuquerque area, favorite targets are properties managed by the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, Metropolitan Flood Authority, the state highway bridges, overpasses and utility poles. Favorite private properties are locations like Rio Grande Boulevard and Candelaria where all four corners of the intersection are often vandalized.
Favorite targets are the same visual pollution sites that are seen on private properties.
Solutions The best solution, most people agree, is the education of youth grades 1 through 6. They must see that graffiti vandalism is unacceptable, negative behavior and learn community leadership and community responsibility. Another day found 800 volunteers cleaned up more high-incident areas, and on still another weekend, more than 1,200 volunteers used 2,500 gallons of paint to cover many more ugly graffiti sites. In addition to these major volunteer activities, many civic and youth groups and neighborhood associations regularly help maintain public properties. Schools judged by Council of Garden Clubs.