Join SF’s Graffiti Advisory Board!
There always seems to be a lack of rational voices within San Francisco’s municipal government whenever it comes time to discuss graffiti. Whether it’s (DPW’s Deputy Director) Mohammed Nuru’s nonsensical comments on the Commonwealth Club’s panel (responding that “the city is not an arbiter of art” when asked how the city decides what is and isn’t graffiti) or Officer Putz (head of the Police Department’s Graffiti Abatement Program) and his snarky comments during an interview with the SF Chron (“This one is by The Snail. I can’t tell you how I know that. It’s a secret.”), it’s really hard to take the city’s “hard line” seriously.
We need more intelligent, socially aware people deciding what they’re going to prosecute our children for (15 felony counts for scratching his nickname into public property). We need folks like Ben Morgan, director of Quality of Life, with his twelve years “working directly with at-risk youth in the juvenile justice system,” who argues for treatment of the social issues underlying the graffiti problem. We need people like John Doffing, founder of Start Soma, a gallery dedicated to showing the work of emerging new artists, who argues for redirecting some of the $22+ million dollars per year the city spends on graffiti “cleanup” and prosecution into more constructive youth outlet programs where at-risk kids can redirect their creative energies into public art projects.
We need you, dear reader.
If you really want to get involved, one of the best ways to do so is by sitting in on one of the city’s Graffiti Advisory Board meetings on the second Thursday of every month. They’re held in City Hall, room 348, at 5:30 – 7:00pm, unless otherwise noted. Meeting agendas are available on the GAB website (linked above).
If you really, really want to get involved, look into applying for one of the vacant seats on the Board. They’re the folks who propose the policies that incarcerate our children and waste our tax dollars. You could help by offering more intelligent, compassionate, and efficient alternatives. The specific positions that lie open right now are as follows:
Vacant seat, new appointment, seat 2, must represent the Youth Court, for an indefinite term.
Vacant seat, succeeding John Omernik, seat 8, resigned, must represent private schools operating in San Francisco, for an indefinite term.
Vacant seat, succeeding Deborah Mansfield, seat 11, resigned, non voting member, must represent neighborhood organization, for an indefinite term.
Applications are available online in pdf format and should be submitted to the Clerk of the Board. If you have any questions, call the Rules Committee Clerk at 415-554-5184 and ask for Dale Johnson.
The Graffiti Advisory Board has the following responsibilities:
- Prepare and submit to the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor a report every six months on graffiti as it affects neighborhoods and the downtown area of San Francisco, which shall include a review and evaluation of the services and programs in place to respond to graffiti, prevention strategies, and recommendations and plans as to a consolidated program of public and private efforts;
- Advise about the coordination of information, activities and goals among existing programs funded by the City and Count and privately sponsored programs;
- Advise about improving the efficiency in the provision of graffiti enforcement, prevention, and clean-up services.