There is no shortage of examples. In recent days, graffiti on the walls of the historic Santa Magdalena Convent off La Rambla has been highlighted. And residents of the Sant Jaume district are drawing attention to the proliferation of graffiti.
They complain that although the previous administration introduced cheap rates to eliminate graffiti (two euros per square metre), they don't understand why they have to pay for this out of their own pockets. If a building is listed, and many in Sant Jaume are, a report has to be requested before there is a clean-up.
The ARCA heritage association argues that the best solution for fighting this vandalism is to remove the graffiti immediately. By doing this, vandals' egos are deflated and they might think twice if they know that their work will quickly disappear.
The town hall does face obstacles. It can't act on private property without a request to do so, while some historic buildings - because of the nature of the material - do require technical reports before a clean-up can be carried out.
3 comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
Apart from Plaça Major I hardly ever see any Police anymore.
A few hundred hours of supervised community service, preferably at unsocial hours, e.g. graveyard shift mopping hospital floors etc. should also go a long way to curb re-offending. Can't be two places at once, and 200 hours from midnight to 6AM is a month plus.
Graffiti is a much more serious problem than just being an eyesore. Graffiti goes to the heart of a city’s image to the outside world showing visitors, tourists and residents that the local Council has lost control of the city and that feral behaviour is rampant and out-of-control. It sends a message to criminals that this is a city where the chances of being caught in the act are less and so they move in for the pickings. Additionally you can imagine the negative effect that this bad image has on would-be tourists in the attractive and lucrative middle and upper markets whose key criteria for choosing a city holiday are safety and security. Especially so the North Americans who Mallorca is setting out to attract to the island. Catching those who make the graffiti isn’t rocket science. They can’t operate in broad daylight so they’re working in the early hours, they’re locals and they carry their tools and paints around with them. A period of increased vigilance by the police at that time of night looking out for those with heavy bags will surely nab quite a few. Once caught their punishment could be to remove their own graffiti plus some community hours. All it takes is a plan and the will to execute that plan. To stop complaining about it and to do something positive to stop it. For the future there’s a town in southern Italy called Diamante that has turned the graffiti problem into an opportunity. The town’s Council authorises teams of graffiti artists to create pre-approved artworks on recognised sites with the result that the town has become a destination for art lovers and those who appreciate colourful spaces. This policy has created an uplift in visitors to the town who then spend in the shops, bars and restaurants. The artworks add value to the town and it’s a win-win for the artists, the Council and the town’s residents. Palma could do well to trial this approach.