Imagine that you are walking down the street to your favorite coffee shop, only to find that all of the windows have been smashed in, and there is glass on the floor and spray paint everywhere. The owners and the employees are sweeping up the glass and there are tears in their eyes because they know that the damages are going to be too expensive to fix. Vandalism can happen to any business, and it can have a major impact on the business owner, the employees, and their surrounding community. Vandalism affects every city and town across the world. My hometown, Washington, DC, experiences a lot of vandalism due to being the nation’s capital. I see broken glass everywhere from cars getting vandalized. Vandalism is so common for me that when I see it I don’t even think anything of it and it just passes through my mind. Local governments, such as city councils, must educate students, involve the community in cleanup, and increase streetlights to reduce vandalism because it hurts communities and businesses.
Vandalism causes loss of jobs, public fear, and empty storefronts on the main streets, which are bad for the local community. For instance, Alex Vercherue, the owner of Big Dawgs Barbershop in Seattle, WA, told Fox 13 Seattle that his business “had an estimated $10,000 in repairs after being vandalized.” This indicates that the cost to fix vandalism for a small business like Big Dawgs Barbershop could run them out of business because they might not be able to pay for the repairs, and this in turn could cause layoffs where people lose their jobs and have no place left to work. Vandalism, such as graffiti, can also cause people to avoid community transit, cause business districts to struggle to get customers, and increase the fear of local gangs in the community, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. If business districts struggle to get customers, they can shut down. Businesses pay a lot of taxes to the local government and if they shut down then the government has less money to enhance the community.
Cities across the world have found varying solutions to vandalism, including education, community engagement, and improved lighting. We should teach kids in school at an early age to respect property and public places. We should also create a requirement for the community to have a role in cleaning up the vandalism so that they understand the effects of vandalism and know what vandalism looks and feels like. When we do cleanups at my school it makes us look differently when someone litters or doesn’t take care of our public spaces. A study in New York City found that streetlights resulted in a 36% reduction in nighttime crime, including vandalism. The community and the government are the key to fixing the problem.
As you can see, vandalism is a crime that affects communities everywhere. It hurts businesses, affects people’s jobs, and creates public fear. In my hometown of Washington, DC, I have seen glass on the ground, broken windows, graffiti on buildings, and protests that turn into riots that lead to vandalism. Therefore finding solutions that involve education, engagement by the community, and improved lighting will help prevent vandalism. If you see vandalism in your neighborhood, first identify the problem. Are there enough street lights or is there enough education about vandalism? Then, report and advocate for the solution with your local government.
Sources
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/vandalized-tacoma-businesses
