Taylor County Takes Initiative to Clean Up Graffiti
By: Brendaliss Gonzalez
Updated: February 26, 2012
It's a way for the city to clean up and teach a valuable lesson.
"It helps them feel better, that they're helping out with their neighborhoods or their neighbors," said Beau Myrick, a Taylor County probation officer.
The Taylor County Juvenile Justice Center has run a graffiti ratification program for the past decade.
It allows teens serving probation to complete community service hours by painting over tagged walls.
Beau Myrick has participated in the program for more than a year, supervising teens, and sees the initiative as much more than just punishment.
"They actually have a good feeling that when they're done with their work to look back on that work and say, hey i did this and it looks pretty good," he said.
As vandalism has spread throughout the city, they've had plenty of opportunity to serve.
"It's going all over, all over town," said Myrick. "Neighborhoods that we haven't seen before, it's popping up on businesses that we haven't seen before."
Whenever graffiti is reported the owner has the option of using this program to help them with the clean up. All they have to do is provide the paint and with the recent rise in graffiti incidents, this option is becoming more popular.
"If it wasn't for this program i was going to hire somebody or get myself out here to do it so this program is fantastic," said Scott Middlebrooks whose wife owns a store in Abilene that had recently been vandalized.
The teens visit places like gas stations and shops to paint over any spray painted tags left by gangs or other vandalizers.
Some have actually come to appreciate the task.
"Giving back to the community, it's kind of good i guess," said one teen as he served.
Even if its forced, they're keeping the city of Abilene clean, one paint stroke at a time.
"It helps them feel better, that they're helping out with their neighborhoods or their neighbors," said Beau Myrick, a Taylor County probation officer.
The Taylor County Juvenile Justice Center has run a graffiti ratification program for the past decade.
It allows teens serving probation to complete community service hours by painting over tagged walls.
Beau Myrick has participated in the program for more than a year, supervising teens, and sees the initiative as much more than just punishment.
"They actually have a good feeling that when they're done with their work to look back on that work and say, hey i did this and it looks pretty good," he said.
As vandalism has spread throughout the city, they've had plenty of opportunity to serve.
"It's going all over, all over town," said Myrick. "Neighborhoods that we haven't seen before, it's popping up on businesses that we haven't seen before."
Whenever graffiti is reported the owner has the option of using this program to help them with the clean up. All they have to do is provide the paint and with the recent rise in graffiti incidents, this option is becoming more popular.
"If it wasn't for this program i was going to hire somebody or get myself out here to do it so this program is fantastic," said Scott Middlebrooks whose wife owns a store in Abilene that had recently been vandalized.
The teens visit places like gas stations and shops to paint over any spray painted tags left by gangs or other vandalizers.
Some have actually come to appreciate the task.
"Giving back to the community, it's kind of good i guess," said one teen as he served.
Even if its forced, they're keeping the city of Abilene clean, one paint stroke at a time.
