Tipster Robert Francey doesn't subscribe to the notion that a thing of beauty is a joy forever -- not when it comes to graffiti in Mission Hill, anyway.

Francey tells GlobeWatch his neighborhood is frequently the target of graffiti artists who spray paint ``tags" like ``STILO," ``aeg, " and ``Gigsaw" on homes, storefront windows, and just about any other flat, visible surface.

Most upsetting, however, is the latest round of hits on May 16 when taggers hit not only their usual spots but even ``bombed" someone's front door with red spray paint at 45 Delle Ave.

``Graffiti makes me feel unsafe," wrote Francey. ``Graffiti says it's OK for other illegal activity." Indeed, Francey said his neighborhood already has more serious crime problems that rightfully occupy the attention of police.

But, he adds, graffiti damage not only private property, they make residents feel like the bad guys are winning.

``Why when we ask at crime committee meetings are we told to call police, politicians, etc., and then wait for months for something to be done?" Francey asked.

``I called 911 today and was told it is not up to me to call for damage to other people's property."

Francey writes that he and his neighbors are not sure whether the taggers are adult vandals, students who usually cut through on their way to a nighborhood high school , or if they're college students from one of several institutions with campuses at the neighborhood's fringes. Francey doesn't believe the tags are gang-related.

The city responds:

``We have no tolerance for graffiti," said Michael Bartosiak, who heads up the guys in the white jumpsuits who make up the city's ``graffiti busters" crew. The taxpayer-funded program provides free cleanup and operates as a division of the city's Department of Property Management and Construction.

Armed with high-pressure hot and cold water washers and cans of spray paint in six useful colors, the graffiti busters work year-round to combat street ``artwork."

Since July 1, the department has scrubbed nearly 1,400 tags across the city, 220 of which have been in the section of Mission Hill where Francey lives, Bartosiak said.

A large garage on Pontiac Street, which is a favorite canvas of graffiti artists for large, more elaborate images, has required cleaning by Bartosiak's department at least twice a year for the last nine years, he said.

Mission Hill accounts for 16 percent of the graffiti incidents workers handle, making the neighborhood number one citywide, Bartosiak said.

Along with nearby Jamaica Plain, at 11.8 percent, graffiti busters spend at least one week a month just cleaning up those two neighborhoods, he said.

The city is aware of the graffiti in Francey's area, and residents have been mailed property damage waiver forms that must be signed before the graffiti busters will come out, Bartosiak said. Once the forms are returned, the tags should be removed within a week or so, he said.

You can help

To report graffiti, Boston residents may call the mayor's constituent services hot line at 617-635-4500 or file an electronic complaint form at www.cityofboston.gov/mayor/24/. The information is then sent to Bartosiak, who arranges for an inspector to investigate.

If there is ``hate" graffiti, Bartosiak said he'll notify police and try to get it cleaned up within 24 hours. If not, waiver forms are mailed out to property owners to be signed and returned. Once those forms are received, staffers will go out and clean. Callers do not need to own the property or even live in Boston in order to report graffiti.

CHRISTINA PAZZANESE

WHO'S IN CHARGE?

Michael Galvin,
Chief of Basic City Services
Room 811
1 City Hall Plaza
Boston o2201
617-635-4100
BasicServices@cityofboston.gov

Cleaning up

Boston neighborhoods with the greatest percentage of graffiti cleaned up by the city's ``graffiti busters" squad since July 1, 2005.

Neighborhood	Percent
Mission Hill	16
Jamaica Plain	11.8
Dorchester	11.5
Fenway	11.3
Back Bay	10.7
East Boston	8.6

Total graffiti incidents since July 1: 1,379

SOURCE: Michael Bartosiak, head of ``graffiti busters" program, Department of Property Management and Construction, Office of Basic City Services.