Victims of vandalism receive violations from Newburgh officials; councilman urges administrators to rethink graffiti crackdown
At this week's city council meeting, At-Large Councilman Robert McLymore asked the administration and police department to find other ways to crack down on graffiti without penalizing the victims.
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Newburgh administrators have been issuing notices of violation to victims of graffiti, sparking some concern on the city council.
One victim, Rhodes Funeral Home on Lake Street, has been tagged with graffiti multiple times and has received multiple violations. One of the tags reads "ZVS, NBNY."
Several locals said Thursday the unkempt adjacent lot, which the funeral home does not own, tends to invite vandalism out back, especially at night.
At this week's city council meeting, At-Large Councilman Robert McLymore asked the administration and police department to find other ways to crack down on graffiti without penalizing the victims.
"He's not the one who's defacing his own property," McLymore said, regarding the owner of Rhodes Funeral Home. "If we can look into that and see if we can do some type of enforcement to stop or prevent that type of crime and graffiti that's going on over there."
Some commuters, who often see vandalism on buses and at bus stops, said city residents need to organize, take videos and call police when they see vandalism in progress, adding that penalizing victims is not stopping the graffiti.
"I think a lot of people need to help out," commuter Lana Bachus said, "and I think I could be a better place if we all help out, and stop the tagging."
News 12 has reached out to city administrators asking whether they plan to change their approach to their vandalism crackdown. Administrators had not responded by late Thursday afternoon.
