NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Have you noticed? There’s been a visible increase in graffiti across the city recently, residents say—from Manhattan to Brooklyn and Queens.
Last year, city sanitation crews cleared away 1,700 locations—in the Bronx alone.
Recent hotspots include West 96th Street and Broadway on the Upper West Side; 87th Street and Fourth Avenue in Bay Ridge; and Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village.
Council Member Gale Brewer, who represents the Upper West Side, said she was taking the matter into her own hands and will be covering over graffiti with her staffers this summer.
“We’d love to have people help us,” Brewer said. “We’re all going to get drop cloths, paint brushes and start painting.”
John, who has lived in Bay Ridge for many years, said part of his regular routine is sending photos of graffiti to 311.
He calls the tagging “disgraceful” and a “complete eyesore” that “sends the wrong message about a community.”
John said he and his neighbors welcome beautiful murals but that the current situation is simply vandalism.
“This isn’t artwork,” an Upper West Side resident said, adding the “overall aesthetic is definitely down” in the area from what she's seen.