[Ned]

Why do black and Hispanic people ruin their neighborhoods by spraying graffiti on buildings, street signs, etc.? This community-spoiling custom may also take place in white neighborhoods, but not to the degree as in black and Hispanic areas.

User Detail :  

Name : Ned, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 27, City : San Diego, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Computer Programmer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Lucy22626]

Graffiti is used for several reasons, but mostly to mark territory or who has been there. Graffiti is like a road map of a city for those who know how to read it. Graffiti is more prevalent in black and hispanic neighborhoods than in white neighborhoods, but this has more to do with the economics of the neighborhood than ethnicity. When kids grow up in poor conditions without a lot of hope for the future, they try to hold on to the little they have. They take posesion of their street or neighborhood and tag it so everyone else knows. Their territory becomes a source of power for kids who society doesn’t give a damn about. In many areas, even the kids who might have a chance can’t even get a decent education because the schools are terrible. Graffiti is only a symptom of much larger issues.

User Detail :  

Name : Lucy22626, Gender : F, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Age : 25, City : San Jose, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Dan27136]

Black and Hispanic ‘people’? More like small groups of thugs, and not two entire sets of people. It’s common knowledge that gangs and tagging crews are generally found in more abundance in barrios and ghettos than in the suburbs, but probably less than 1 out of 15 people in such neighborhoods go around doing this type of thing. Most people in the barrio/ghetto are decent, hard working blue collar folks with old-fashioned values. Even though thugs run a regime of chaos in certain parts is no reason to pigeonhole an entire community.

User Detail :  

Name : Dan27136, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Pentecostal Christian, Age : 21, City : L.A. area, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Rosa29479]

We’re marking our territory. We’re saying, ‘Look, here’s my tag, this is my neighborhood!’ When me and my friends pass by places with lots of graffiti, we always get excited and try to read the different groups, maybe it’s someone we know. We think it’s much more colorful, like a mural.

User Detail :  

Name : Rosa29479, Gender : F, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Age : 15, City : Los Angeles, State : CA, Country : United States, Social class : Lower class, 

[Dan31705]

These crimes are perpetrated by small groups of thugs and not entire communities. If every black and Hispanic youth in the neighborhoods participated in such activities, literally every square foot would be tagged up in one giant rainbow of Krylon. Probably less than 1/15 youths in these neighborhoods do such things. Yes, the problem of gangs and tagging crews is greater in black and Hispanic neighborhoods, but it does not indicate that the entire community is rotten. We hate it probably more than you do, because 90% of the time we are the victims of it. It is not good to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

User Detail :  

Name : Dan31705, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Pentecostal Christian, Age : 21, City : L.A. area, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[NK20231]

I think it is because these neighborhoods are usually poorer, which always seems to lead to all kinds of problems. Poor families need to work harder, giving them less time to spend with and supervise their kids; the community doesn’t have enough money to invest in things that would give its young people something other to do than hang around the streets, like sports and arts(!) programs in schools; there is more an atmosphere of hopelessness; just some examples. I guess just think about what keeps people in other communites from doing this.

User Detail :  

Name : NK20231, Gender : F, Age : 22, City : White Plains, State : NY, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

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