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Sonya Mann's active website is Sonya, Supposedly.

Preventing Graffiti In El Cerrito

Today I met with community organizer Nicholas Arzio to discuss the anti-graffiti project that he’s working on. Arzio, who almost won an El Cerrito City Council seat in 2014, is a member of the Crime Prevention Committee. Currently he’s gathering resources to have murals painted on frequently-vandalized BART pylons. Just one pylon to start with, but maybe more in the future.

pastel graffiti mural on a truck
Photo by A Syn.

The idea came from seeing art on the sides of vans and trucks, which owners commission to discourage would-be vandals. Arzio also cited public art in Oakland as an inspiration, when he presented his idea to the Arts & Culture Commission on April 27th. San Francisco’s Mission District is another example of a place full of beautiful murals, and I immediately thought of WPA artists from the 1930s.

WPA mural, Cohen Building, Washington DC
Photo via Library of Congress.

I’m interested in this project. Depending on how things develop, I might pitch the story to a publication like Pacific Standard or California Sunday. I would talk to local graffiti artists and report opinions from both sides of the issue. People’s responses could reveal interesting cultural expectations.

Of course, I don’t know for sure whether I’ll write about this in depth. It’s hard to predict. Certainly things will take a while: Arzio has been working on the graffiti-prevention initiative since February, but he doesn’t expect painting to start until September. City governance is not speedy.

Dumbledore shrugging

Arzio and I discussed a lot more, but I’m still processing and figuring out what I want to do. I would love to dig into local government and have El Cerrito and Richmond be my beat… but I’m not sure how feasible that is. Again, we’ll see!

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