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View Full Version : Grafitti arrives in Idaho.......



Ken Fitzgerald
09-07-2008, 12:49 PM
About 0900 this morning our doorbell rang. It was a guy from down the block whom I had never met. He informed me someone spray painted his pickup last night and my 5th wheel trailer. I went out to the street and sure enough. Someone had spray painted a message on the street side of my 26' 5th wheel trailer. They obviously weren't too intelligent or educated as they couldn't put the whole message in spanish or english but a jumbled message in a comibination of the two aforementioned languages.

I guess I don't understand the mindset of jerks who intentionally damage personal property belonging to others. And they are so cowardly about it. They have to do it in the dark of night when folks are asleep....or as so many cowards protest these days here and abroad with their faces covered or masked. Low life cowards.......no guts.....so unsure of their cause that they aren't willing to pay the price for their actions.

The police were called and have been here. Now I get to contact my insurance agent. Though...I suspect....I could get it off with one of my solvents. The irresponsible jerks didn't even do a good job of it.

Matt Ocel
09-07-2008, 1:13 PM
In Minneapolis, MN as a propety owner you get 48 hours to cover it up or get a fine.

Oh! They are cracking down on it though. NOT!
One way is that you have to be 18 to buy spray paint.

So now when I need a can of spray paint for a job - I get carded.

Cliff Rohrabacher
09-07-2008, 2:26 PM
It could very well be turf markers by some gang members telling other gang bangers that this is their turf and to stay out.

Next it'll be the ladies auxiliary of MS13 knocking on your door in the middle of the day demanding pastry protection money.

David DeCristoforo
09-07-2008, 2:31 PM
"...turf markers..."

Is it just me or does this not seem to be at least amusing? I mean the idea of someone putting their "turf markers" on a truck and trailer that may well be elsewhere very soon?

Mitchell Andrus
09-07-2008, 2:33 PM
I feel for you, Ken.

I own a 20,000 sf building that backs up to the train tracks. 2 23 year olds were marking mine and 12 others' buildings. They were caught and the costs to paint the bunch of 'em totaled $41,000.00. Both were unemployed.

They'll be on probation until the money is paid (what are the chances of that?), but I did get one check for $17.50 a few months ago.... how about that? The police told me not to bother painting again. It's not a bad area - they were from a larger town 15 miles away. In 22 years, I've never had a problem like this.

My son and I painted a few weeks ago.... spent $740.00 on PAINT ALONE!!! (big area involved)

Ken Fitzgerald
09-07-2008, 2:53 PM
"...turf markers..."

Is it just me or does this not seem to be at least amusing? I mean the idea of someone putting their "turf markers" on a truck and trailer that may well be elsewhere very soon?

David....Maybe you can convince my wife it's funny?

Ken Fitzgerald
09-07-2008, 3:04 PM
It is, in fact, turf marking. A little research on the internet.

David DeCristoforo
09-07-2008, 3:09 PM
I don't mean it's funny that your truck got tagged. Just that it seems pretty stupid to put "turf markers" on a mobile object....

Brian Brown
09-07-2008, 3:47 PM
it seems pretty stupid to put "turf markers" on a mobile object....

I've never known gang bangers or vandals to be accused of being the brightest bulbs on the marquee.

Sorry to hear of the damage Ken. I hope it cleans up easily. Hopefully they will catch the idiots that did it, and you can use them for cleaning rags.

Steve knight
09-07-2008, 3:51 PM
I don't mean it's funny that your truck got tagged. Just that it seems pretty stupid to put "turf markers" on a mobile object....
ever see box cars? they are tagged all the time.

Ken Fitzgerald
09-07-2008, 4:04 PM
I don't mean it's funny that your truck got tagged. Just that it seems pretty stupid to put "turf markers" on a mobile object....

I caught that David....and I agree..pretty stupid.....unless of course....you are expanding your territory!:rolleyes:

My oldest son is a deputy sheriff here. I called him and asked if we had an expanding gang problem here. According to him....No....just some wannabes.

curtis rosche
09-07-2008, 4:57 PM
leave the paint on your trailer, and move it to a rival gangs terf, maybe they will cover it up for you..............

Ken Fitzgerald
09-07-2008, 5:08 PM
Curtis......there isn't any rival gangs in IDAHO. This was probably done by a bunch of "wannabes". My neighbor (a professional painter) and I just tried several different chemicals to remove it. I had already tried lacquer thinner. It took the grafitti and the paint off the siding on the trailer. We tried several others. The ones that took the spray paint also took off the paint on the trailer. I'll contact my insurance agent tomorrow. I'll probably end up with a paint job on the trailer.

curtis rosche
09-07-2008, 5:26 PM
if they try and spray it again, try puttin PAM or somethin like that on it, so the paint just runs off or doesnt stick. that would be kinda funny to watch, them tryin to figure out why the paint wont work right

Wes Bischel
09-07-2008, 6:13 PM
Ken,
That stinks. I hope the insurance co. comes through. Here some dope was squirting acid on cars. Got around 350 or so - and still hasn't been caught.:mad:

Wes

Belinda Barfield
09-08-2008, 9:33 AM
Curtis......there isn't any rival gangs in IDAHO. This was probably done by a bunch of "wannabes". My neighbor (a professional painter) and I just tried several different chemicals to remove it. I had already tried lacquer thinner. It took the grafitti and the paint off the siding on the trailer. We tried several others. The ones that took the spray paint also took off the paint on the trailer. I'll contact my insurance agent tomorrow. I'll probably end up with a paint job on the trailer.

Sorry to hear about your trailer Ken. "Wannabees" are sometimes worse than the real deal. They try so much harder. We have an expanding gang problem here and I wish someone would come up with a method of dealing with the problem. Maybe if we can stop the gangs in other areas you won't ever have to worry about them in Idaho. I just finished reading a book, "War of the Bloods in my Veins", about a reformed gang banger. It was a rather disturbing book, and I'm not sure why I picked it up in the first place. I did finish it though, and must say it was enlightening. It also scared the poo out of me and made me more a lot more aware of my surroundings when I am out and about. I was walking through the mall a couple of months ago and just up ahead of me were three young men. One guy grabbed another around the waist and picked him up. I thought they were just horsin' around so I just kept walking. Just as I got even with them and attempted to walk past them on the right I got slammed up against the wall and knocked down. These guys were fighting and I never even realized it. I scooted back out of the way as fast as I could, ran to the nearest store and asked the manager to call mall security. I walked back out and people were just standing around watching as one guy was trying to force another guy over the second floor railing. Turns out after all was said and done the guy getting beat was a member of a rival gang - or at least that is what the policeman told me. I haven't been to the mall since.

I hope they don't come back to your neighborhood. Maybe you could rig your trailer to fire a load of buckshot at them if they do!

Mike Ramsey
09-08-2008, 5:07 PM
Sorry to hear about your 5th wheel being vandalized Ken.

Maybe you could call WMH & order a Mustard poster to
cover it up...

Seems like i've read about an I da ho gang before..

Seriously I would be ticked if it were me also.

Joe Pelonio
09-08-2008, 5:54 PM
When we lived in Castro Valley, CA, the same thing happened in our neighborhood. They also got the soccer snack bar and storage building at one of the elementary schools.

The sheriff confirmed that it was gang related, and that the gangs in Oakland had begun to spread out their activity to the suburbs. This was 20 miles away from Oakland. This weekend I was at my sister's in Walnut Creek, CA and noticed a lot of gang graffiti on the walls along a hiking trail and inside several creek tunnels.

While we do have such activity in Seattle, they have not yet spread across the bridges to the east side, thankfully. Since I do sign work in Seattle I have had more requests for anti-graffiti coatings, which would work on a motor home too. Unfortunately it's not cheap, as you can see on this link, but it does work:

http://ndclean.com/graffitishield.htm

David Fairfield
09-08-2008, 6:03 PM
Its been proven that the best way to combat grafitti is to demoralize the "artist". I use a spray can of neutral or matching paint to overspray anything as soon as I see it near my property. The faster you get to it the better. They want a permanent record, but when they see their crap gone the next day, they migrate elsewhere.

Dave

David G Baker
09-08-2008, 6:12 PM
It is so bad in some areas that roof top motion activated sprinkler systems were installed to discourage the vandals.
Ken,
You are many years behind the times when it comes to turf marking vandalism, California has had this problem for many years and has tried almost everything to discourage tagging. It costs folks millions of dollars every year. In many paint carrying stores the spray paint is locked up in metal mesh cages to prevent theft by the taggers.

Jason Perrott
09-08-2008, 6:17 PM
Ken,

Try using some WD-40 spray to remove the paint, I have had luck with this on buildings, and should leave the automotive finish alone. Good Luck!

Jason