As the Seal Beach Lions and Leos clubs were setting up at the pier for another day of cooking, selling and serving bratwurst and hot dogs for the recent Arts & Crafts Faire they noticed some peculiar markings on the walls of the structure.
Someone had “tagged” the area with graffiti. Before the cooking started, the Leos went to work with paint, rollers and brushes, covering up blemishes before too many people, including the perpetrators, could see them.
About two yeas ago, the Seal Beach Lions Club started LAG or Lions Against Graffiti, a project for graffiti removal on private property. Since that time, according to the Lions, more than 2,000 graffiti markings have been removed or covered up in Seal Beach alone.
“We have a team of Lions led by Project Chairman Ray Longoria, who regularly comb the alleys, parking lots, bikeways, bus stops and other areas looking for and removing graffiti,” said Scott Newton, who oversees the Leos for the Lions. While originally chartered for private property removal, the team regularly removes graffiti from public property as well.
Newton said that over the past six months or so there has been a rash of graffiti markings using the name “SB Punks” or “SBP” or “SBK.”
“That Saturday morning, we discovered numerous graffiti marking using these names in locations under the pier, on walls, in the alley, and a municipal parking lot,” Newton said. “They could be people from the outside but we fear that they may be our own misguided youth living in Seal Beach.”
Newton said he hoped giving the problem some exposure might encourage someone close to the taggers to turn them in or at least deter them from spreading more graffiti. He said that sometimes the problem can be solved at the family level.
“A lot of parents of taggers have no idea their kids are doing it,” Newton said. He suggested parents learn how to identify the signs that point to a tagger.
“It would be nice to get parents to be more aware and possibly flush out the perpetrators,” Newton said.
How can a parent find out if their kids are tagging?
According to information provided by Seal Beach Police Sgt. Ron La Velle, there are certain clues to look for. Taggers are generally members of small loosely knit groups of adolescents, many from middle and upper income families, whose primary source of entertainment and excitement is the vandalism of private property with “Tagger Graffiti.” Any child could be a member of one of these groups.
A simple investigation of your child’s room and personal property could lead to an answer. Does your child create and keep cartoon-like art in a folder or sketchbook? These books are called “piece books” and are often used to practice graffiti prior to a planned act of vandalism.
Does your child have a nickname that is primarily used by his or her friends? Does he or she write scribbled words with a marker on items of personal property, like shoes, notebooks, hats, and book covers?
Active taggers generally record their tag names and tag names of their friends in such places. Individual taggers adopt pseudonyms or nicknames, usually four to six letters, like “Syke,” “Waxx,” “Krono,” “Popz,” “Jagz.” Numbers can be used as well, such as “562” and “714.”
The numbers correspond to the letters on a telephone. If you see this writing, look for similar writing on the walls and curbing in the neighborhood near your home or near the school that your child attends.
Does your child have access to spray paint? Does he have a collection of paint can spray tips? This is common practice amongst taggers. Does your child sneak out of the house late at night to spend time with his friends? Where do they go? What do they do? If your child is out of control in this way, the chances are very strong that he or she is involved in graffiti vandalism.
More information on how to identify taggers and what to do if your child is one of them is readily available online and from your local police department.
Newton said the Seal Beach Lions will respond within 18 hours to all emails or calls to its graffiti removal hotline: Email graffitiremoval@sealbeachlions.com or call Lion Ray Longoria at (562) 370-7836.
