Graffiti Covers Brooklyn After City Program Defunded, BP Says

BROOKLYN, NY — The city's coronavirus-stricken budget has left Brooklyn covered in graffiti, worrying suffering businesses about foot traffic in the borough, according to the borough president.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams recently joined community leaders and business owners to power-wash graffiti off of an Auto Repair shop in Bed-Stuy, hoping to bring attention to what he says has been a spike in the eyesores after an anti-graffiti city program was defunded amid the financial strain of the coronavirus pandemic.

"...When graffiti tags are spray painted onto public and private property it is not art — graffiti is vandalism and it’s against the law," Adams said in a video campaign. "It’s an affront to the community and those who worked so hard to beautify and improve their neighborhoods."

The uptick in graffiti has popped up on storefronts, sidewalks, houses and even government buildings, according to the borough president.

It comes after the city indefinitely suspended its $3 million Graffiti-Free NYC program and 311 stopped accepting graffiti complaints due to budget shortfalls. The Economic Development Corporation, which runs the Graffiti-Free program, did not return a request for comment on the suspension.

The vandalism has been a particular problem on Atlantic Avenue, where the auto repair shop Adams visited this week sits, he said.

"Businesses like A1 Auto Repair Service, which are already suffering from the economic devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, often have to go into their own pockets to clean graffiti off their façades," Adams said. "...Every New Yorker can play a role in keeping their communities graffiti-free."

The borough president's campaign came with a donation to DPH Property Maintenance Service, who helped remove the A1 graffiti, and a $5,000 grant for the Flatbush Development Corporation to further promote clean-up efforts.

He called on the city to restore funding to the Graffiti-Free NYC program and increase support for groups leading community murals to provide an outlet for artists and work. Local NYPD precincts should also collaborate to prevent the vandalism, he said.

See the full PSA here: