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| Credit: Brooke Collins, City of Chicago |
Press release from the City about a new strategy for Graffiti Blasters. Seems clear to us -- the more graffiti an area calls in, the faster it'll get taken care of. So put 311 on your speed dial or use the web to request removal.
CITY GRAFFITI BLASTERS DEPLOY NEW STRATEGY TO REDUCE OPEN REQUESTS FOR SERVICE
Streets and Sanitation Graffiti-Removal Crews Blitz Wards to Increase Productivity
Similar Strategy to Used by Tree Trimming Crews has Reduced Backlog by 25%
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Department of Streets and Sanitation announced today that graffiti-removal crews are now using a new method of “blitzing” neighborhoods using a ward-based grid system to improve efficiency and increase productivity. The system is the same method used by the department’s tree-trimming and tree-removal crews that has reduced a backlog of open requests for service by more than 25 percent over the past three months.
Starting last week, graffiti-removal crews have responded to requests for service using a ward based grid system in which the crews “blitz” the areas with the most open requests.
They now each visit four wards a day to address the outstanding calls for service in a tight geographical area. They are the same wards that forestry crews visit on the same days. Additional graffiti and forestry crews are available for emergencies and other priority situations.
In just the first week of the new system, graffiti-removal crews visited a total of 18 wards and blasted more than 1,000 pieces of graffiti from buildings and other structures, and painted over another 1,400.
In addition to being more efficient, the “blitz” method significantly reduces the amount of time and expenses associated with fuel and vehicle maintenance that occurred when crews used to drive around from one location to the next. The new plan allows for a “blitz” in each of the city’s 50 wards every 13 working days.
Same as the mayor's new police deployment strategy. Concentrate police officers in the gang infested neighborhoods where they indiscriminately shoot and kill each other, but ignore OUR climbing violent crime rate in Uptown because we're not being victimized enough yet.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I can see how this would make sense .... In Crazytown!
Leave it to a mayor who has personal police bodyguards /manservants for himself and his family (and even his residence), 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, to decide that WE have too much police service in Uptown, but the criminal gang members in Englewood do not.
For the record, my entire 2 car garage door has been tagged by gangs twice in the last 6 months near Clark St and Carmen but I removed it within 2 or 3 hours of discovering it. I'm not waiting around for Graffiti Blasters to get to it. I REFUSE to have this gang crap on MY property for a minute more than necessary. I'm sure that THIS is part of Emanuel's strategy as well, Responsible homeowners taking care of the problem right away while the irresponsible ones don't even care! I'm not trying to lump people in here like seniors or others who are unable to get the tagging cleaned off, but I'm just saying... Responsible property owners aren't going to be displaying gang symbolism on the walls and doors waiting weeks and or months for the government to come clean it up for them. That service seems to be reserved for the people who expect the government provide all the other services in their lives, as well.