By Mary Malloy
"It breaks my heart when I see all that graffiti on the Grist Mill," said Trustee Bruno Romano.
Under the new local law, it is unlawful for any person to apply graffiti to any surface anywhere in the village. Penalties for violating this new local law include a fine beginning at $500 for the first offense, restitution for the damage caused to property, and community service. Moreover, the local law makes the parents of minors joint and severally liable for the payment of all fines, fees and costs resulting from a graffiti violation. Additionally, the new law provides the means to immediately remove the graffiti from our community.
"Graffiti is one of the worst forms of vandalism," said Mayor Ed Sieban. "The vandals who perpetrate these destructive acts have,of recent, become embolden, resulting in a proliferation of graffiti throughout our village. This new local law is an aggressive measure to punish the transgressors and to ensure that the graffiti is promptly removed from our community."
Deputy Mayor Richard Meagher said that graffiti can have a deleterious effect on the community, including a decrease in property values and loss of business growth. "The new law will stop this negative impact on East Rockaway," he said.
"Graffiti also creates the misimpression that the residents and business owners do not care about their community, and that there is gang activity in the area," Trustee Bruno Romano said.
The cost of graffiti removal is an expensive process, and this new law will place the financial burden on the violator.
"This new law provides additional local measures to deal with the problem of graffiti in addition to the criminal penalties available through the New York State Penal Law," said Trustee Francis T. Lenahan, Jr. His background in law enforcement allows Lenahan to see what can happen if this goes unchecked. "Once you have a graffiti problem, it can get out of control. We have to put teeth into our laws."
Incidents of graffiti can be reported to Village Hall at 516-887-6300, to the Village Helpline at 516-887-HELP(4357) or by e-mail at esieban@villiageofeastrockaway.org. Together, we can end this vandalism in our community. Trustee Irene Villacci added that "the recent increased activity has placed a drain on the financial resources of local businesses and government.
