Seen on the hill: SW Charlestown’s ‘annual’ graffiti vandalism

| Crime | West Seattle news

Out of the WSB inbox, from Kent:

Just reporting that the annual “school is out” graffiti has begun on Charlestown hill (and 47th). This year’s tasteless art includes a blue Swastika as well as obnoxiously large white lettering and it doesn’t end there. I really wish there was a way to thwart this! Maybe putting out the word that while we are proud of our graduates, maybe they might consider that we have to look at this graffiti in front of our homes every day now for the next few years (until it wears off). The city refuses to remove or cover it and it just invites other vandals.

We’re checking with SDOT regarding the latter contention.

ADDED 5:44 PM: From Rick Sheridan at SDOT:

SDOT does remove graffiti on streets, and takes hate, sexist, and racist graffiti seriously. Our goal is to respond to offensive graffiti on public property as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours. SDOT will work to remove the swastika from the roadway on Wednesday, June 16.

We will also assess at that time whether the other painted elements need to be addressed. SDOT recognizes that this is a standing tradition for students, one that is not typically the subject of complaints.

pam June 15, 2010 (1:19 pm)

Personally don’t mind the traditional Charlestown graffiti but don’t want to see a swastika. Wish they’d stick to “2010 – hooray” type things.

JBL4 June 15, 2010 (1:40 pm)

I live a few houses away and I think the annual painting is great (except for the swastika stuff). It kinda makes it our hill cooler than all the others.

Mike June 15, 2010 (1:59 pm)

I do mind it, in the rain it actually causes poor traction. I’ve almost had a guy slide back and hit my car because they could not get enough traction on the painted area. It’s a hazard. One accident and a lawyer going after the city for not properly maintaining it will clean it up really fast.

sc June 15, 2010 (2:06 pm)

Having lived many years near the “Charlestown Hill” I am disheartened that a swastika has appeared. Previously it was only the current graduating year of West Seattle High done in the school colors of blue and gold.
One year the EPA was involved because removing the paint from the street needed to be done carefully so that it did not flow into the storm drains.

KBear June 15, 2010 (2:16 pm)

Seattle has a graffiti nuisance ordinance that requires the property owner to remove graffiti promptly. Streets are included in the ordinance. Is there some reason it doesn’t apply here?
.
http://www.seattle.gov/util/Services/Garbage/KeepSeattleClean/Graffiti_Prevention_&_Removal/GraffitiNuisanceOrdinance/index.htm

WSB June 15, 2010 (2:17 pm)

SDOT is checking into this for us right now and we’ll report back as soon as we find out.

Rose June 15, 2010 (2:21 pm)

Very tasteless and disappointing that new graduates have nothing better to do than deface their neighborhood. Way to go 2010.

george June 15, 2010 (2:36 pm)

And what is the fascination in displaying swastikas? I thought this was a “kinder, gentler, more informed” generation. You would think an Apple would be their symbolic gesture.

4thGenWestSide June 15, 2010 (2:45 pm)

Lighten up. The Charlestown painting tradition has been around West Seattle a lot longer than most of you. Agree about the Nazi symbol- poor judgement and embarasding to the school.

Lighten up, Rose.

Personally I love to see it every year. It has never taken 2 years for it to come off- more like 2 months. Even when the paint used to be good.

proactiveWS June 15, 2010 (3:06 pm)

Why wait for the city to come clean it up when we can just do it ourselves? I’m sure someone has a can of old paint in their garage that will cover it. Turn it into something beautiful.

CMP June 15, 2010 (3:08 pm)

The glass walls at Colman Pool had some nice graffiti work at the deep end this past Sunday. What an eye sore. I swear if it’s not cleaned up soon the entire wall will be covered with and we won’t be able to see Puget Sound 25 yards away!

WSB June 15, 2010 (3:13 pm)

Oh no, sorry to hear that. I also am working on a vandalism report involving a park in WC, for our other site. Did you ask if they had reported it? Seems you can’t ever assume …

Gina June 15, 2010 (3:14 pm)

Connect the empty spaces on the swastika so it becomes four squares. Paint a bow on top. And it becomes a gift.

mcbride June 15, 2010 (3:17 pm)

I don’t know the intent of the senior class in using the Swastika symbol, however, it may be worth entertaining the idea that the symbol was used in the classical sense, to denote good luck on a person or persons.
.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika
.
My observation has been that W Seattle High has a multi-ethnic and largely tolerant population. Given the disposition of teenagers to tweak the nose of adults, I’m going with the “Good Luck 2010” theory. (Note – I’m not advocating for or against either painting the hill or the symbolism employed. I do believe that if you have the opportunity to prevent someone from getting your goat, then by all means, keep your goat. If nothing else, it frustrates the would be goat getter to no end.)

Born To Be Mild June 15, 2010 (3:27 pm)

Just drove by the graffiti and my companion enjoyed it. I would have liked to see a better job of lettering myself. I understand that some would see this as defacing the street, but I’d like to see a better quality tag.

datamuse June 15, 2010 (3:28 pm)

Why not use chalk instead of paint? Lots of schools do that and it’ll come off in the next rain.

Newnative June 15, 2010 (3:53 pm)

I just spoke with a WS student who stated that they had planned to paint on Sunday but couldn’t. The colors are wrong. It may be an outside job.

WSB June 15, 2010 (4:07 pm)

Newnative thank you – I’ve been meaning to say, let’s not pin this on a certain group we THINK did it … without firsthand evidence …

nmb June 15, 2010 (4:01 pm)

@KBear: The graffiti nuisance ordinance does not regulate graffiti painted on streets. “Streets” is only listed in the definition of “premises open to the public”. The “premises open to the public” is only used in the ordinance in the context of graffiti on *private* property which is *in view* from premises open to the public (i.e. visible from streets).

Still, as the City requires private property owners to remove graffiti that is visible from public spaces, it follows logically that the City should be required to remove graffiti on public property that is visible from public spaces.

Mr Matt June 15, 2010 (4:07 pm)

Don’t let one bad, tasteless apple spoil it for the rest of them.

alki resident June 15, 2010 (4:28 pm)

Lighten up Rose.Many of us long time residents look forward to the tradition every year.Its been the only spot that can hold so many messages.Its a celebration and in good taste.Its a hill you can be proud of driving on.Before you know it rain makes it go away until next year.Congratulations seniors.

Lorelee June 15, 2010 (4:55 pm)

Why not engage the school in this? WSHS ASB should do some sort of Annual senior contest for best design on charleston, and get funding for appropriate paint (non-slick? Non-toxic?) from the PTA- I’d contribute in order to prevent offensive design and language.

WSB June 15, 2010 (5:45 pm)

I have just added SDOT’s response to the story. SDOT will remove the swastika tomorrow and will evaluate the rest.

Kristi June 15, 2010 (7:28 pm)

I would advise people not to drive on that road early in the morning. Last year during this time I made that mistake, not know about the graffiti and I now have lovely streaks of white paint running down the side of my car where it was kicked up by all four of my tires. Try as I might after I discovered it, white paint is NOT easily removed from a car. Thought I’d throw a warning out there to be careful.

It’s one thing to have some fun and announce to West Seattle you are graduating and finished but could they maybe thinking of using chalk?

JD June 15, 2010 (8:07 pm)

Oh hey look…adults whining about kids having some sort of fun and being proud of graduating and following in tradition. Perhaps it would be better to keep them all handcuffed to desks and beds? Yes this is sarcasm

GWS June 15, 2010 (10:00 pm)

None of you who think this is good, clean, harmless fun live on the hill and have to live with it every day. Not to mention the paint rollers, pans, and half empty paint cans that typically litter the hill after the nighttime graffiti attack. It probably will never stop because it is such an inviting target. Hopefully though the painters have someone looking out at the top of the hill for speeders heading over the top of the hill.

JH June 15, 2010 (11:16 pm)

Are you sure it’s a swastika? I haven’t seen it, but two graduating teens (who were not involved, and one is my senior kid) just told me that the seniors painted the roman numeral for 10 (X). Maybe they didn’t write it correctly or screwed it up, because supposedly they didn’t have enough paint. Does anyone have a photo of this?

By the way, my initials were on the hill in the 80s and I’m proud of it!!!!

pam June 16, 2010 (6:21 am)

It didn’t look like a swastika to me when we drove by. I guess it makes more of a story to make it a racist issue….

Genessee neighbor June 16, 2010 (6:59 am)

Could be worse – seems like a fairly harmless WSHS senior tradition. The swastika isn’t cool but I know in the past the seniors plan and look forward to pulling the paint job off. A few years ago the SPD came by during the paint job, told the kids they needed to leave but also said they had done one of the best pain jobs he’d seen in years. Let’s worry more about teen crime and drugs rather than a silly little tradition. At Garfield, they used to shimmy up the smokestack and paint it as their senior tradition. Goats were released into the building of one school one year. Many moons ago a VW staff vehicle was put on the roof of the school. Could be worse.

george June 16, 2010 (11:54 am)

Prank: Release 3 piglets with numbers 1,3,4 painted on them and see how long it takes to figure out there is no number 2.

JH June 16, 2010 (12:34 pm)

I just looked at the hill. There’s a roman numeral X. I see nothing that looks like a swastika. These kids are getting a bad rap, and WSHS’s class of 2010 is an amazing bunch of kids.

What is wrong with you people? Get glasses! I would love to see a photo of the imaginary swastika.

LM2 June 16, 2010 (2:29 pm)

I’ve driven up the hill several times since it was painted and it appears that they are Roman numerals. This is a tradition that has been going on for years. I know several WSHS 2010 grads and they are amazing kids! How come the blog doesn’t talk about how the last 4 winners of the Gates Foundation scholarship came from West Seattle HS??

Kent June 16, 2010 (3:13 pm)

I live on the hill. The blue swatstika was punted at the edge of my driveway. It was covered the next night with a white ’10’.

We shod all get together and have a couple of large boulders placed be the side of the road for the kids to paint each year – similar to what I have seen in other communities. Keep the fun and tradition alive and eliminate the danger of anyone being hit (as it is a blind drop off and cars drive too fast down the hill). That and it keeps the wet paint off cars.

Re: swatstika – my guess this was only one person using poor judgement and not a reflection on the class of 2010. That said, Congratulations Seniors!

JH June 16, 2010 (7:47 pm)

Kent-thanks for your clarification. This has fired me up only because my kid is part of that class, and they are great kids. I was wondering how anyone saw a swastika in the X on the hill (roman numeral 10). The kids were upset because they were getting such a bad rap. I still find it surprising that this was done, and am hoping it wasn’t anyone from WSHS. Thanks for your congrats-they just graduated tonight!

tincanrocket June 16, 2010 (8:36 pm)

Apologies for the typos above. I was posting via my phone and was rushed a bit.

@JH I also wanted to add that it appears that the kids who painted the giant, white block letters also were the ones with the good judgement to cover the blue swastika with that white ’10’. Oddly I find myself thinking – “classy move” all the while referring to graffiti all over the place outside my door step. :)

Sonoma June 17, 2010 (2:22 am)

CMP, I noticed the hideously ugly graffiti on the Coleman Pool wall, too. I hope it’s removed soon. Wish we could catch the x%$$%%% who did this and make them clean it and pay a nice fat fine. It isn’t art/self-expression, it’s obnoxious vandalism.

sara June 17, 2010 (3:35 pm)

Sure, it might be fun to see as you drive by to your own home, but imagine the poor people that live in front of it! The annual grafiti on Charlestown should be removed and the graduates should be punished for vandalism. Every year this occurs and the city just turns their heads the other way. I think the High School should take ownership for this and provide a venue or area that could be painted with illegal graffiti that is not displayed in front of peoples homes. Also, sure, it might be fun to see as you drive by to your own home, but imagine the poor people that live in front of it!

KL June 18, 2010 (7:55 pm)

If you dont like the paint on Charlestown hill, then dont freakin’ live on the hill. Its been happening for decades and it will always continue to be a graduation tradition…!!!
Calm Down west seattle yuppie adults

Sorry, comment time is over.