Dear Sir,
We are hearing daily now about the growing problem of crime lakeside and what the people and the government should do about it. There is one direct cause of street and property crime that too many ignore because they do not see how important it is.
Unlike random and dispersed street crime, this one can be dealt with quickly, cheaply and effectively because it is literally right under our noses and does not move.
I am referring to graffiti vandalism in general and in particular how the taggers have been allowed to take over Chapala with no serious and sustained response from the business people, the expat community, or the government and police of the municipality of Chapala.
There is a direct and strong connection between criminal gangs, their graffiti and street crime. I will not bore you with the reams of studies and papers and experiences of communities all over the world that confirm this connection. You can simply Google “graffiti and crime” and you will have hundreds of references on the topic.
In a nutshell, gangs use graffiti to advertise, to recruit, to send messages to other gangs and to mark your homes and businesses for crime. They use it to express domination and control of the community and instill fear in the populace. It is their most effective means of communication and when you take it away, you strike a heavy blow against them.
Since we moved to this area less than four years ago, graffiti has exploded in Chapala. It was also invading Ajijic, San Antonio and Riberas but a handful of committed volunteers have stopped the taggers in their tracks and today all are nearly graffiti free. Unfortunately, such is not the case in Chapala.
From our direct experience, we anti-graffiti volunteers know that this ugliness and blight can be stopped with minimal cost and effort. The key word here is “sustained.” To stop graffiti vandals, you simply take away their handiwork and keep taking it away. You remove tags quickly and completely and repeatedly until they give up and stop coming back. You erase even the smallest tags and you get them all so that no gang can be seen as succeeding.
Why are these punks still allowed to tag Chapala without challenge? Why are they still permitted to use your streets to foster crime and fear? What are they saying to you the people, the government and the police of Chapala?
They are saying loud and clear that they are the power, not you, not your police not your government. Is this acceptable, Chapala?
Or is it an intolerable insult that cannot be allowed to continue? We hope that you will soon realize it is time to put these punks in their place and make it absolutely plain that Chapala is your community and they must respect it and you. Or else.
We graffiti volunteers are ready to lend our hard-won expertise but you must first step up to the plate. Are you ready for a graffiti-free, safer Chapala? If so, call us and let’s get started. We’re your neighbors and we’re here to lend a helping hand.
Daniel H. Houck, Ajijic No Graffiti