Councilmember Peter F. Vallone Jr. gave a talk April 10 to some 100 people in Flushing on the different forms of graffiti and vandalism, and ways to combat them, during a co-meeting of the Clinton Democratic Club and the Democratic Organization of Flushing.
Vallone, who frequently visits community organizations to discuss public safety issues, joined City Comptroller John Liu, a member of the Democratic Organization of Flushing, and his brother Paul Vallone, who runs the Clinton Democratic Club in Bayside, at the Self Help Benjamin Rosenthal Senior Center.
Vallone, who has written the toughest laws on graffiti in the country, first discussed more traditional forms of vandalism, caused by spray paint and markers, then passed out visual aids demonstrating various forms of scratchiti, an irreparable form of vandalism caused by etching acid and etching pens.
To fight scratchiti, often found on subway doors and windows, bus windows and bus shelters, Vallone passed legislation that regulates the sale and possession of etching acid and recently introduced a bill that would do the same for etching pens and stencils. Vallone’s latest bill would require buyers to be 21 years of age or older, show identification and require distributors to present sale records with buyers’ names and addresses to law enforcement officials.