New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is launching a new initiative to get rid of griffiti across the city.
Cantrell announced on Wednesday the creation of an abatement program that aims to target the most severe cases of defacement. That program, Mayor Cantrell said in a statement, would help restore the "visual appeal" of New Orleans's neighborhoods and business districts while combatting crime at the same time.
According to the mayor's office, the city is contracting with Safe Wash Solutions to remove graffiti from buildings and other properties. She says this new program is similar to how New York City handles its graffiti problems.
"They tackle graffiti on the subway," Cantrell said during a Wednesday news conference. "Every time a car went into the station, if it was graffitied, it was painted before going back out. It's kind of like the same concept, but it's not something that's going into a little storage area to get painted. It's all open to the public."
Cantrell's office also notes that this program and the contractors will not target works of public art, saying that "the program will be mindful of preserving graffiti murals or art installations."
The first graffiti removal work will take place along the St. Claude corridor. Mayor Cantrell says those efforts will branch out into other parts of the city in the coming days.