Not all graffiti is art but art can be graffiti. Civil unrest has erupted across the nation, and property vandalism has been at an all-time high. The EPA suggested in 2010, nationally, the annual cost of monitoring, detecting, removing, and repairing graffiti damage has been estimated as high as $15 to $18 billion. Without knowledge of the costs associated with removing graffiti, graffiti’s primary culprits are disenfranchised youth looking for universal recognition.

Laurie Spivack has been the owner of GoodBye Graffiti USA for over 17 years. This year has seen an uptake in graffiti vandalism across the Puget Sound Region. Technicians are working overtime to keep our city streets clean and free of graffiti from Olympia to Bellingham. We met with Laurie on-site in the City of Tacoma for a graffiti removal project.