You would think that in a town like Carmel-by-the-Sea there would be little to no graffiti. We used to think so but an event in October, 2021 woke us up. One person decided to go on a rampage around the Village and did tremendous damage with spray paint and paint pens. From restrooms, to power panels, to walls on the sides of buildings, to squirrel can trash cans, he left his mark. We were called by the Police Chief to help investigate and remedy situations on private property. But, we also helped clean up spray paint damage in the First Murphy Park public restroom. You can see the before and after below:
Once our eyes were open we started seeing graffiti all over the Village. It came in four types. Paint-based, stickers, and charcoal and carvings in the sandstone on Carmel Beach. One of our leadership team members, Janice Bradner, agreed to head up a new initiative called the “Tag Team”. Shirley Moon, our Scenic Pathway Restoration Project lead volunteer had developed some skills in graffiti removal techniques and they acquired the tools and products required to remove graffiti. We recruited a couple other volunteers and got to work.
In order for the Tag Team to do their work we need your help. If you see any graffiti or stickers, simply email a PICTURE and LOCATION to CCTagTeam@gmail.com. Include a picture and the exact location. We will attempt to remedy the situation within 24 hours. We also report the incident to the Carmel Police Department so they can produce appropriate reports to support their investigations. Carmel Cares also tracks all incidents in a spreadsheet.
To see the Tag Team in action watch this video.
