Portland's Office of Neighborhood Involvement told KATU it's seen an increase in hate-filled graffiti being spray-painted throughout the city since the presidential election.

Graffiti abatement program manager Theresa Marchetti says there seem to be two factors: the current political climate and virtually non-existent enforcement.

"We're seeing more hate-related graffiti that's political in nature," Theresa Marchetti said. "Some of it is offensive."

Marchetti says Portland police stopped responding to tagging-related calls last year because of staffing shortages. The city also lost funding for a graffiti enforcement officer.

In response, the city created strong relationships with community organizations and contracted removal services.

Paul Watts, with Graffiti Removal Services, who is often contracted by the city of Portland to remove graffiti, says he has been extremely busy. On Monday he was asked to remove some messages from City Hall.

"We're seeing the political graffiti. We're seeing the racist graffiti," Watts said. "It's just hate. I mean, it's really just pure hate."

Watts said part of the problem is there's not enough enforcement, and it's difficult to catch taggers in the act.

For example, residents of the Kerns neighborhood found a swastika created with black paint on the ground Tuesday.

"There's a lot of anger and they feel more freedom to destroy things, I think," Hilary Woodard, who was walking her kids to their bus stop when she found the swastika, told KATU News.

Later in the day, Woodard and a neighbor scrubbed the hateful symbol off the concrete.

"Very disappointed and sort of shocked," she said. "It's not the way to [express yourself]. Destruction of property is never good."

A few blocks away, Trayson Varner, who's homeless, was offered some cash to repaint the outside of a Northeast Portland business. He willingly took up the offer.

"Some of the stuff is crude and nobody wants to see it," he exclaimed. "It's my way, I feel like, that I am giving back to the community."

Marchetti says the Office of Neighborhood Involvement typically receives around 8,000 reports of graffiti a year, but is quick to add that not all graffiti is reported.

The city removes all graffiti on public property and in parks. The program also offers free, one-time removal services for tags that are located on private property.

Marchetti says the best way to fight graffiti is to report it immediately and remove tags. The program geographically tracks monikers.

The city allotted $150,000 for graffiti abatement annually.



There are several ways to report graffiti to the city of Portland:

- Call 503-823-4824, noting location and contact information in case questions arise

- Use the PDXReporter app on your smartphone to report location

- Email picture and location

- Report online