The French
Quarter Business Association will be hosting a Volunteer French Quarter
Graffiti Cleanup event on Saturday, May 8. Individual and group volunteers will
gather at the New Orleans Police Department's Eighth District on 334 Royal St.
Check-in will begin at 9 a.m. and the event will go until 11 a.m.
Graffiti
is classified as writing, drawings, or symbols written on any surface without
permission of the owner. It is usually made with automotive car paint, spray
paint, crayons, and permanent ink, which can make it challenging to remove. It
can greatly affect public perception, architectural significance, and the
general quality of life in a given area. The French Quarter Business
Association is a not-for-profit organization with a goal to protect and develop
the liveliest neighborhood in the city. The FQBA offers a variety of graffiti
prevention tips: maintaining upkeep of external extremities, removing graffiti
as quickly as possible, controlling access and steping up security, and working
with the community to report any incidents of graffiti.
French
Quarter Advocates is sponsoring the event and donating supplies including
gloves, rags, scrappers, scouring pads, T-shirts, and Vieux Carre
Commission-approved cleaning solution. Bryan Drude, president of French Quarter
Advocates, is excited to give back to the neighborhood where his organization's
membership lives and works. French Quarter Advocates and other French Quarter
groups worked together to create the Vieux Carre Graffiti Abatement Program
(VC-GAP) in 2010. VC-GAP works to get rid of illegal graffiti from buildings
and walls in the French Quarter. They also offer information and solutions to
those victimized by unwarranted graffiti.
The event
will provide volunteers with a T-shirt, all cleaning product and tools
necessary for the cleanup, and refreshments. Make sure to check out French
Quarter Business Association on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay
updated on upcoming graffiti cleanup dates.
For more information about the event and to register as an individual or group, please visit fqba.org or the association's Facebook page.
