Murals are displayed on the walls of small businesses in Flagstaff and are created by local artists, like Sky Black and Sean Griffin, professionally known as Griffin One. While this form of street art is accepted, not all are welcomed.
Graffiti is considered a form of vandalism in Arizona. In response to graffiti, Flagstaff residents formed the group Graffiti Busters 10 years ago. This volunteer-based program, while not connected to the Flagstaff Police Department, operates under the city’s Community Code Compliance department to find and cover local graffiti tags.
Bill Sheppard (left) and Kevin Dunlap (right) stand in front of the Graffiti Busters van outside the City of Flagstaff Sustainability Program Office, Oct. 12. The Graffiti Busters is a volunteer group that cleans up various kinds of graffiti around Flagstaff.
Kevin Dunlap is a code compliance officer for the city. He said the ultimate goal of Graffiti Busters is to eradicate graffiti quickly and efficiently. Leaving graffiti up for prolonged periods of time can encourage other artists to tag private buildings illegally, Dunlap said.
The Graffiti Busters define graffiti as any public marking the City of Flagstaff does not approve. All businesses must contact Flagstaff’s Beautification Program to seek approval for artwork displayed on their buildings by presenting a model depicting the finished product. Otherwise, artwork may run the risk of being covered up.
For instance, Dunlap said the program recently had to cover a piece of public artwork an artist created because the building’s owner failed to seek the city’s approval. The artwork represented friends the artist lost.
“He did 8-foot-by-16-foot walls, and he did four sections of it,” Dunlap said. “The problem was we had to cover it all up, and it was great art. He took the time, it was 3D, it was beautiful.”
Dunlap referred the artist to the Beautification & Public Art Commission to seek approval for his artwork.
Graffiti Busters has a complaint form for those who spot graffiti when traveling around the city. Dunlap said this process is only relevant to Flagstaff, as NAUPD has a different protocol.
NAUPD Sgt. Kevin Duffy said the department typically receives calls from staff members and community assistants reporting on-campus graffiti. NAUPD then files a report, and NAU Facility Services cleans up the graffiti.
“Graffiti can be found anywhere, but I would say mainly it’s found on the inside of our buildings,” Duffy said. “People try to cover the walls in marker and spray paint.”
Dunlap said public concern for graffiti is related to the consideration of safety from gang-related violence in Flagstaff.
However, at NAU most of the graffiti found is harmless.
“Mainly, the drawings are scribbling, but sometimes it can be art,” Duffy said. “Gang-related stuff is usually not too often drawn.”
Other graffiti found on campus includes sketches of cartoon characters. Duffy said these drawings are often found in bathroom stalls.
The volunteer members of Graffiti Busters aim to improve the quality of life for Flagstaff residents by keeping the city clean.
“We want to exemplify Flagstaff for what it is, not for the problems we have,” Dunlap said.
Graffiti Busters gather materials to cover tags from donations and the Hazardous Product Center. Flagites can donate leftover paint, which will be dumped into five-gallon paint buckets. The most recent contribution was 32 five-gallon buckets from Habitat for Humanity with the help of Home Depot to tint the paint.
Graffiti on bricks is sprayed down with a pressure washer and a special solvent. However, when graffiti is painted over, the color does not always match the original paint of the building.
Local artists’ work is often altered by graffiti. If a mural is tagged, Graffiti Busters suggests hiring a professional business to ensure the total restoration of the artwork.
Statistics on the amount of graffiti in Flagstaff are not recorded. However, Dunlap said in one week, Bill Sheppard, a permanent volunteer for Graffiti Busters, removed more than 35 tags.
Graffiti Busters volunteer Bill Sheppard wipes down a telephone pole with a scouring pad at a clean-up site in an alleyway off Aspen Avenue on Oct. 12. At times, the “safewipe” isn’t enough to remove graffiti and a scouring pad is required.
The organization also manages stickers placed on buildings around town and cleans chalk drawings from sidewalks.
Graffiti Busters welcomes volunteers needing to fulfill their court-appointed community service hours.
Additional information on volunteering for the Graffiti Busters organization can be found on its website. Information on receiving approval for a street art piece can be found on the City of Flagstaff Beautification webpage.