Bold graffiti artists strike -- in Brockton police parking lot

By Milton Valencia, Globe Staff

BROCKTON – Graffiti artists went on a spree Monday night and early Tuesday, scrawling their "tags" in several locations -- including a mobile command post parked in the police station lot.

Police arrested four people for vandalizing the van, and are investigating whether they are responsible for other graffiti throughout the city that could cost thousands of dollars to clean up.

“It’s destruction of property,” Police Chief William Conlon said. “It’s disheartening to residents and business owners and government leaders – anybody who’s got to look at it.”

Facing charges of vandalism and vandalism by tagging were: James Cook, 17; Duane Bailey, 20; Kent Coffey, 20; and Steven Gavazzi, 23.

Conlon said a passerby called police just before 3 a.m. Tuesday after seeing people painting the van, and officers who canvassed the area saw the four walking not far away.

One of the group had paint on his hand, and police searching them found spray paint cans of the same colors used in the graffiti, Conlon said. He said the four later confessed.

Later Tuesday, a construction worker renovating the Manning Pool, a $2 million project, found graffiti on the pool sides, the cement apron around it and on the walls of the pool house, the chief said.

Also, a local florist who had recently removed spray paint from his wall found that he had been hit again, the chief said.

He said it was the latest in a surge of graffiti vandalism that has given neighborhoods a bad image.

“Maybe it’s becoming more of a fad, but it’s a disheartening fad and it costs many thousand dollars to remove it,” the chief said. “These kids are so young that are doing it, I don’t think they can see beyond their noses to see the detrimental effect it has had on the community.”

• Comment
• Permalink
• Email