Pacific Beach Town Council was told by its Community Enhancement Committee in March that the group’s 12th annual graffiti cleanup in 2022 was a huge success with more than 80 community volunteers removing 600-plus tags.

The group was clued in via a slideshow presentation by Jim Menders of Pacific Beach Graffiti Busters. Menders discussed the results of last year’s cleanup, wherein community volunteers gathered at Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church at 1675 Garnet Ave. for a three-hour cleanup around the community on a Saturday morning. Volunteers were provided with materials, equipment, and training to participate. Minors were allowed to get involved with a safety waiver signed by their parent or guardian.

Menders also pitched the town council on this year’s 13 annual graffiti clean-up set for May 13.

PBTC officials talked about the event’s significance, discussing the need for removing unsightly tags and why doing so has become a mainstay of their yearly event schedule.

“The PBTC’s annual graffiti cleanup was started in 2008 by then PBTC president Jerry Hall,” said Community Enhancement Committee member Marcie Beckett, who talked of the process involved. “Before the event, Jim Menders organizes a group of volunteers to survey the community for graffiti, which Jim uses to make maps of graffiti locations.” Becket pointed out “volunteers are trained to remove graffiti and receive supplies and maps of where to go. Each year, 70 to 100 volunteers get rid of about 1,000 tags in a few hours.”

Beckett noted the impact of the graffiti cleanup on volunteers is long-lasting. “The rest of the year these folks are more likely to remove or report graffiti on their own, which results in a better-looking community and discourages future graffiti and crime,” she said. “It is a fun event and it makes people feel good to make such a positive impact on the community.”

Charlie Nieto, PBTC president, considers the annual cleanup to be part of the town council’s mission to enhance the coastal community.

“One of many historic duties of the PBTC is to act as custodians and caretakers of the community that we all reside in and love,” Nieto said. “The work of the graffiti busters is one way we can execute that. Not only do the graffiti busters offer an aesthetic service of community beautification for those who live in PB, but they also support our business community. Many mom-and-pop [businesses] become victims of vandalization, and are unfortunately ill-equipped to tackle it on their own.”

“Planning for this year’s event is being spearheaded primarily by the brilliant Marcie Beckett and Community Enhancement chair, Susan Crowers,” continued Nieto. “The data-driven approach to tagging by the graffiti busters is the brainchild of Jim Menders, which allows a fully encompassing and efficient way to manage the issue and direct volunteers to the most critically impacted areas of town.”

Concluded Nieto: “Last year’s graffiti cleanup was the first since a pandemic hiatus, and it was a smashing success with full volunteer attendance and several hundreds of graffiti tags removed. We are happy to say that this year, we anticipate the 13th annual graffiti cleanup to be our biggest yet.”

GRAFFITI DAY

To learn more or to sign up to volunteer, visit pbtowncouncil.org/graffiti-day/.