Jeff Humphrey, Media Manager, 509.625.6308
Tuesday, June 27, 2023 at 11:09 a.m.
An attractive, vibrant downtown is critically important to our scenic city. A dedicated team of workers works hard to keep it that way.
“We pretty much do this every afternoon, seven days a week,” said Troy Baumgardner who is a member of the Downtown Spokane Partnership’s Clean Team.
Last year, The Clean Team removed, or painted over, 45 hundred pieces of graffiti.
“It’s time consuming. It destroys a lot of property and, it makes downtown look really bad,” Baumgardner said of the problem.
That’s why the Downtown Spokane partnership is now documenting each act of vandalism in the hopes of identifying Spokane’s most prolific taggers.
“All of that information is quantified into a data base that we now have that we can use to provide more information about where we’re seeing hotspots of graffiti. As well as, possibly down the road, leading to solutions to prevent graffiti in the future,” explained Elizabeth Hooker of the Downtown Spokane Partnership.
Our citizens can also help prevent graffiti by reporting when and where they see taggers at work.
“We’re asking you to stay aware of your surroundings, report suspicious activity or criminal incidents when they happen,” said Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl. “Provide officers with information you may have related to criminal activity. And together, we are committed to making Spokane a Safe Spokane Summer.”
In the meantime, Baumgardner and his crew are determined to keep up their daily battle against graffiti in downtown area.
“I feel good. My crew feels good when they go home every night,” Baumgardner said with a smile. “We know the visitors and shoppers down here are happy. They thank us all the time.”
