102-year-old Oakland man ordered to clean up graffiti on fence or pay thousands

KTVU ^ | March 20, 2024 | Tom Vacar

[artichokegrower]

OAKLAND, Calif. - Runaway graffiti, sometimes called urban art, has often been cited as a major sign of urban decay and disrespect for private and public property. While there are rules against graffiti, enforcing it sometimes causes more trouble than it might be worth.

[artichokegrower]

Wheelchair user, Oakland-born, 102-year-old, Victor Silva, Sr. often finds graffiti painted onto the back fence of his Oakland home. He has lived here and paid taxes for 80 years.

Earlier this month, he got a violation citation from the City of Oakland to remove it by Tuesday the 19th or face an $1100 fine, plus an additional $1277 for each failed re-inspection

Finally the City of Oakland is cracking down and crime

[Sequoyah101]

Meanwhile human debris is camped on the sidewalk out front and crapping in the street. Our society has ended.

[Sirius Lee]

He should spray paint ‘BLM’ in big letters and then dare them to take it down.

[Wallace T.]

The term, anarcho-tyranny, well fits this situation. Oakland has had an out of control crime situation for decades and has lost or is losing its major league baseball and football franchises. So the city government cites a 102 year old man in a wheelchair with a possible $2,377 bill.

[old school]

Just goes to show you can’t, really, fix stupid!

[Gaffer]

It’s not really the graffiti that’s at the core of this. In the video news report, it was mentioned that the family owns a commercial business building where they operated a business.

I’d be willing to bet that some city-connected developer is behind it having the city levy the fines to put the family in a financial bind so they’d have to ‘sell’ the business and the developer can snap it up cheaply.

It’s ALWAYS “Follow the money.”

[gloryblaze]

Final paragraph:

The city inspector contacted KTVU and said he would do an immediate inspection and, presumably, cancel the citation.

Whew!

[dfwgator]

Shoot taggers on sight!

[Boogieman]

Might be cheaper in the long run to knock it down and put up a chainlink fence. Let them try to graffiti that.

[midwest_hiker]

Can someone explain the difference between someone painting BLM and “normal” graffiti on a fence.
Painting over one of these will get you arrested.
Not Painting over the other will also get you arrested.

[californian by choice]

Although I consider it an arbitrary order for anyone regardless of race, please tell me this man is not white to put my mind at ease.

[Vendome]

last name of “Silva”

Guessing he is Portuguese..

[OpusatFR]

Very smart idea. Or a rainbow fag.

[Max in Utah]

I dunno... nailing a ‘rainbow fag’ to your fence would probably get you arrested too.