Around the world graffiti defaces the urban landscape. The nearly undecipherable scrawling seen in our neighborhoods isn't merely an eyesore. It is a signal to residents, business owners and police that the area will decay unless the problem is brought under control. Recognition or fame motivates the tagger. Tags take the form of often unreadable words or initials, elaborate designs or bubble-style letters.
Tags can derive from a unique name, street name or moniker.
Taggers' tools are spray paint, large-tipped pens, devices which etch glass, or adhesive material used to apply tags to a surface. They don't view their acts as unlawful, believing that it is self-expression. However, their acts of vandalism to public and private property add up to thousands of dollars in restoration costs every day. Unlike tagger graffiti, this type of graffiti will commonly spell out a gang name, their geographic area or a numeric identifier. Their intimidation also targets Jews, people of color, gays and lesbians.