Vulgar graffiti on homes shocks neighborhood
A resident uses acid to scrub away black graffiti that was sprayed on their sidewalk after vandals graffitied various lawn ornaments, driveways, houses and cars in Brookview Highlands over the weekend in Lodi Township.
Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com
Previous story: Vandals spray-paint obscenities on homes near Saline
Residents of the upscale neighborhood north of Saline that was vandalized during the weekend still are in shock days after discovering their driveways and walkways had been marked with vulgar graffiti.
A number of luxury homes near the neighborhood, located in both Lodi and Pittsfield townships, had racial and sexual epithets scrawled in spray paint on the driveways. Toilet paper was tossed high up in trees. Paint also was found on a car and garage door.
Many of the messages were derogatory references to women. They also included the slogans “black power” and “end slavery.” AnnArbor.com cannot repeat all the words or describe the images due to their vulgarity.
“I think we’re all shocked and saddened that the vandalism was so extreme,” said Jenna Pruette, secretary for the Brookview Highlands homeowner’s association.
Pruette said the homeowner’s association is planning a meeting in the wake of the event. They hope to discuss what can be done to avoid similar vandalism in the future including adding more street lighting and security cameras.
The association hopes police will attend the meeting and give them advice.
Sgt. Geoff Fox of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office said his type of vandalism is not typical of the area.
“It’s very rare in a place like that because of the low crime rates,” he said. “It’s few and far between.”
Police are investigating the possibility of teenagers being responsible. Teens or young adults in their early twenties live at the homes that were targeted.
“That has been noted and is something being looked at,” Fox said.
Any charges, which ultimately would be up to prosecutor's, could include the varying degrees of malicious destruction of property. It would depend on the dollar amount of property damaged, Fox said.
Cardboard covers up obscenities in a driveway after vandals graffitied various lawn ornaments, driveways, houses and cars in the Brookview Highlands over the weekend in Lodi Township.
Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com
Because the neighborhood is a jurisdictional island for the sheriff’s office with Pittsfield Township’s border running through it and Saline to the south, the sheriff's office will be closely working with law enforcement agencies from those places to try and catch the culprits.
“The assumption is you’re dealing with some underage (suspects,)” Fox said.
Pruette, who has lived in the neighborhood seven years, agrees.
“I personally think it’s teenagers,” she said. “I hope they’re not from our neighborhood. We’re hoping to get some tips.”
While Pruette’s home near the intersection of Windmill Way and Stoneridge Drive was spared, her neighbor was hit the hardest.
There were a half-dozen vulgar words and images painted in white on the black driveway. The homeowner, who did not want to be identified, said she was shocked to discover the graffiti and the copious amounts of toilet paper wadded up in her trees.
The woman also thought it was the work of teenagers and, even though one of the phrases had a racial element to it, didn’t think race was a motivation.
Residents, many of whom did not want to be identified, said many of the houses that were hit had teenagers living there.
“I didn’t think it was a racial thing, it’s probably just kids thinking they can say these things,” the woman said.
The cleanup continued into Monday morning, with other residents in the neighborhood scrubbing graffiti off their walkways and driveways.
“It’s upsetting and we hope it doesn’t happen again,” Pruette said.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
JRW
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 4:49 p.m.
Didn't I just read a week ago about vandalism in a Saline community garden? Looks like Saline has some big issues with vandalism. Really should be installing those surveillance cameras around the town and in neighborhoods. No other way to catch the perps. Let's start levying some real consequences for these punks, whoever they are, or nothing will change.
Carol Zsako
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 3:59 p.m.
Graffiti vandalism is a hugely expensive problem. According to graffiti experts at www.defacingamerica.com , graffiti clean up costs are in excess of twelve billion dollars a year.
pw
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 2:22 p.m.
Look thru the neighborhood garbage to find the spray cans.....or where they left at the crime scene?
dexterreader
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 1 p.m.
It seems as if Saline has gotten a good share of this type of vandalism over the years. Or maybe it's just more "noticeable" because it IS Saline and not Ypsi or Ann Arbor?? In any case, I hope they find the perpetrators. They should be made to remove all the paint with a toothbrush. Bet they would think twice next time.
Laura Girbach
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 1:51 p.m.
Oh no! You can't do that! It would demean them and make them responsible...something that would probably injure them for the rest of their lives.
Madeleine Borthwick
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 1:35 p.m.
I agree, dex. in addition to removing all the paint with a toothbrush---ideally their own--they should also be made, every day after school for at least a month, to stand on a well-traveled intersection holding up a sign that reads something like this: I'm an idiot. I think that it's ok to spray-paint obscene graffiti on other people's homes. please don't blame my parents, this is ENTIRELY MY FAULT. just sayin'.
MARK
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 1:10 a.m.
Perhaps we could fund them with the 1% art tax and get a better quality of graffiti
AfterDark
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 11:58 p.m.
I've seen a car parked in the Packard/Platt area painted up like this. I wonder if it was in the wrong place at the wrong time or was a separate incident.
Alex Nickodemus
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 11:04 p.m.
Brookview Highlands is a half mile from the Saline city limit. Attention should probably be turned towards Saline kids who have run out of nondestructive ways to keep themselves entertained for the summer.
JRW
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 4:50 p.m.
Criminal vandalism is not entertainment. Start treating these criminal acts seriously and prosecute the perps. No more slaps on the wrist.
lefty48197
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 11:43 p.m.
The article seems to imply that it was either current students or recent grads from the same area when it referred to the fact that most or all of the victimized homes had teenagers or young adults living in them.
EyeHeartA2
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 10:31 p.m.
I happen to agree with most if not all of the assumptions being made here however, one really wonders if similar things had been done in a predominately black neighborhood if the assumption that race was not a motivation would have still been made. ....Or would Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton have already scrambled the jets?
hmsp
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 10:27 p.m.
Let's not rush to judgement, folks. Some of them Senior Citizens can get pretty rambunctious, too.
JRW
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 4:52 p.m.
I hardly think that 65 and 70 year olds are running around neighborhoods with spray paint vandalizing homes and cars. Get real.
a2citizen
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 9:43 p.m.
Young girls with too much time on their hands.
jns131
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 3:46 p.m.
I would not be surprised if some wise cracking boys did this to make it look like a girl did it. Boys I think have way too much time on their hands.
bobslowson
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 12:44 p.m.
Maybe no lower case letters...but there are smiley faces, leads me to believe this could be a pack of teenage girls
Billy
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 10:12 p.m.
I didn't see any lowercase i's dotted with hearts....
xmo
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 9:04 p.m.
I wonder if Aliens did this? You know those Space Aliens, their crazy and they are trying to scare us earthlings.
jns131
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 3:45 p.m.
They are telling you that they are going to visit you and tell you things that are untrue.
whojix
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 8:41 p.m.
Have they assumed the races of the vandals, or is it only PC to discriminate based on age?
Basic Bob
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 12:43 a.m.
They assumed they're from Saline, so what would be your guess?
Unusual Suspect
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 8:31 p.m.
Parents, do you know where your children were last night, especially if you live in NW Ann Arbor?
Davidian
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 4:14 p.m.
Uh....I believe that would be SW Ann Arbor, but that is pretty presumptive. Why not Saline kids?
Unusual Suspect
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 3:26 p.m.
It has to do with where a couple known graffiti "artists" live.
Alex Nickodemus
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 11:02 p.m.
Brookview Highlands is half a mile north of Saline. Not NW Ann Arbor.
Jack Campbell
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 9:04 p.m.
Why NW A2?
jns131
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 8:05 p.m.
A ha!!! Not in Ypsilanti this time. Whew.
Kilgore Trout
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 7:57 p.m.
First someone runs rampant destroying a vegetable garden in Saline and now this. Seems school can't start quick enough
JRW
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 4:54 p.m.
If you think the schools want to welcome these vandals to classrooms, think again, assuming they are school age kids who committed the criminal acts of vandalism. These punks act like thugs in and out of the classrooms.
jns131
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 3:47 p.m.
I really wish they would repeal that dumb law. Would make life a lot easier for all of us.
fishjamaica
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 1:09 a.m.
Year-round school.
sellers
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 8:08 p.m.
So tell your local lawmaker to repeal the law that forces schools to start after Labor Day.
jns131
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 8:06 p.m.
2 more weeks and we parents get somewhat of a break. Until their after school stuff starts and then we are run ragged again. I agree, does school start tomorrow?
smokeblwr
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 7:52 p.m.
Sounds like lyrics from a rap video I saw on the YouTube. Kids fill their head with vulgar obscenities that demean women and this is what you get.
Davidian
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 4:13 p.m.
There are still signs of crude vandalism....in ancient Rome. That was before Jesus. Blaming it on youtube? Fail.
fishjamaica
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 1:08 a.m.
Yes, outlaw Music. The Root of All Evil. The white zone is for loading and unloading only. He used to cut my grass, he was a very nice boy.
Robert Granville
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 10:23 p.m.
Yes blame music.
towncryer
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 10:23 p.m.
"the You Tube"....lol ;)
Davidian
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 7:36 p.m.
Almost certainly teenage boys, and they all have huge mouths. I'm sure they've alredy told a dozen people and they'll get caught.
cinnabar7071
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 9:52 p.m.
My tires were slashed one night, so I offered the kids across the street $50 to find out who had done it, because kids like to brag. That evening when I came home I had the names and phone #'s of the 3 kids that had slashed my tires, 2 days later the kids and their parents were at my door paying for the tires and the reward I had paid out.
justcurious
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 7:32 p.m.
A power washer should do the job in no time.
Madeleine Borthwick
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 1:26 p.m.
Are you kidding?! hello? this is PAINT.
Ross
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 1:23 p.m.
To remove permanent paint? No, dude, it won't. You need to acid etch it off.
R.B.
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 : 7:27 p.m.
I hope they catch these criminals. That's a shame...it's not cute and they should already know better.
JRW
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 4:55 p.m.
This minimizes the crimes. Spraying paint on cars and homes is criminal vandalism, not even close to "cute." It's is a serious crime and should be treated as such.