Fall 2020 - 1736 Magazine

Westobou just completed a “Black Lives Matter”
mural at 11th and Greene streets. On Oct. 27, “The
Spirit of Funk” James Brown mural had its official
unveiling at James Brown Boulevard and Broad Street.
There are several more colorful murals underway.
These murals reinforce that we celebrate our diverse
and unique community. They demonstrate that we
have a strong sense of civic pride and are economically
viable. To sum it up, they speak loudly that we are
proud of downtown Augusta.
The recent rise in graffiti tagging in the downtown
corridor tells quite the opposite story. Graffiti communicates
apathy on behalf of the community. It
sends a message that the neighborhood is not concerned
about its appearance. It is an eyesore and sign
of urban decay.
Graffiti is costly to taxpayers, who bear the cost of
its removal from public property. On private property,
graffiti lowers property values and generates fear that
an area is crime-ridden and unstable. If not removed
immediately, graffiti can have a ripple effect and cause
other forms of property destruction such as broken
windows, littering and loitering.
The DDA, city code enforcement and the security,
management and resource team (or SMART Team)
have worked tirelessly in the past few weeks to remove
graffiti from public property and notify private property
owners that their buildings have been tagged.
To date, most of the graffiti has been successfully
removed.
Downtown Augusta is a beautiful historic district
with a growing arts scene. Downtown Augusta is safe.
We want to continue this momentum and need your
help.
The key to stopping graffiti is immediate removal.
If you are tagged, please call the Richmond County
Sheriff’s Office at (706) 821-1080 to report it. They
will send an officer to record it and check public cameras
for any tagging activity. Graffiti is vandalism and
punishable by law. Consider installing security cameras
and motion lights on your building as a deterrent.
If you are unsure how to safely remove it, call the
DDA at (706) 722-8000 and we will connect you with
the right people.
With cooler weather finally here and outdoor fresh
air activities growing in popularity due to the pandemic,
head downtown and take a stroll to discover
the new murals on display. They may start new conversations.
They may inspire you. They will make you
proud.
The Ellis Street entrance of a Broad Street building shows litter and graffiti, two common symbols of urban decay.
[MICHAEL HOLAHAN/THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE]
1736magazine.com | 65