Tags of well known graffiti vandals were found scrawled along the facade of the Medical Arts Center on 151st Avenue in Lindenwood this week. Police sources say the tags are known to the department are are being investigated. Forum Newsgroup photo by Patricia Adams.
A wave of vandalism swept through the Lindenwood area over the weekend, leaving in its wake the building façade of a popular medical plaza as well as the slashed tires and broken windows of some cars parked in the immediate surrounding area.
Law enforcement sources say that the tags scrawled on the wall belong to well-known taggers in the graffiti community. One standout tag belongs to Lil Creep who is a notorious presence. An inside source confirmed that police have substantial information on several of the taggers in this incident and are hopeful that arrest will be made in connection with the incident in an expeditious manner. Police are investigating possible gang affiliations associated with some of the tags left on the wall.
The tags used supply the police with crucial information about the individual doing the graffiti. Experts say they can be likened to the vandals DNA because the tags are used only by that individual and are the means by which to identify that specific person.
Dr. Anthony Napolitano, owner of the Medical Arts Center located on 151st Avenue off 84th Street in Lindenwood, said he now plans to install lighting over the top of the building as well as placing security cameras in strategic locations. “We’re going to do everything we can to stop this type of activity,” Napolitano told The Forum, “It [graffiti] greatly disturbs the character of the neighborhood and can drive values down. I’m here 30 years and I’m not about to let that happen.”
And the doctor says he’s prepared to spend whatever it takes to make sure the vandals don’t have a cooperative surface at his building to take advantage of. “We’re not only going to have this cleaned up, we’re going to use a special coating on the building so if we have future problems, it can be removed very readily.” Napolitano says despite the expense of the undertaking, he is willing to take it on without hesitation. The coating for to seal the surface can cost as much as $100 per gallon and the project will likely require more than 5 gallons of the specialized sealer.
The Lindenwood community is no stranger to acts of vandalism having recently been subjected to a wave of auto vandalism incidents in which many residents’ cars were stripped of their tires and rims, including several incidents of break-ins to steal air bags and GPS devices as well.
“This is not a situation we take in-stride,” said Lindenwood Alliance founder Joann Ariola. “Graffiti is one of the most blatant of all quality of life offenses and it represents a significant detriment to our neighborhood.” The civic leader coordinated an introduction between Dr. Napolitano and Councilman Eric Ulrich’s office to ensure the quick handling of the cleanup. “The involvement of our elected officials and the NYPD is something I am sure will bring about rapid results,” said Ariola, “hopefully we can look forward to arrests being made in the very near future.”
Clean-up of the site has been arranged through Ulrich’s office and will begin shortly as part of a zero-tolerance graffiti program introduced by the Councilman back in 2009, focusing on private graffiti clean-up. Ulrich introduced the highly successful initiative to his district when he hired a company called City Solve operated by owner Brue Pienky to tackle the job of eradicating the nuisance throughout his district.
Deputy Inspector Thomas Pascale, commanding officer of the 106th Precinct said his will do everything they can to bring these vandals to justice. “The department and the DA’s office take a strong stance on graffiti offenses,” Pascale explained. “We have one officer assigned to track graffiti complaints and identify possible subjects. That officer works closely with the department’s vandal unit.”
As of press time, police say that there was no established connection between the graffiti and the vandalism of the automobiles at or near the same location.
By Patricia Adams
