As the crime of graffiti vandalism continues in the city, nonprofit group Seattle Paint-Out has targeted a variety of neighborhoods, including Ballard, for graffiti-cleaning in the near future.

The group recently held its annual Seattle Paint-Out in several of the city's neighborhoods. Program organizer Laine Ross said that more paint-outs will be held in the near future.

"We've had inquiries in Ballard," said Ross. "They're definitely on our list to conduct a paint-out in the next month or two."

Ross said that the most likely area for a paint-out is along Market Street, where graffiti tags are evident on buildings and sidewalks. The Graffiti Nuisance Ordinance passed in 1994 requires that all vandalism on private property be removed in a timely manner.

Seattle Public Utilities is working to support the Seattle Paint-Out event. Throughout the year, Seattle Public Utilities provides paint, materials and on-site instruction for community groups who are interested in conducting paint-outs in their neighborhoods.

"Especially this year more and more people have called as they begin to notice graffiti in the neighborhood and wonder what they can do to help stem the tide," said Anthony Matlock of Seattle Public Utilities. "We collect used paint and give it out free to citizens to cover graffiti, and a lot of citizens use that program."

Graffiti vandalism is evident in many parts of Ballard. Earlier this month, the Ballard Community Center on 28th Avenue Northwest was heavily tagged.

According to Robert Wilkens, Ballard Community Center assistant coordinator, vandals tagged three vehicles in the parking lot, as well as garbage cans, sidewalks, stairs and the building.

"There was a word that they spelled out specifically which might be some sort of a gang," Wilkens said. "Aside from all that it was very large graffiti tags."

The graffiti was promptly removed, in accordance with the city's policy. Wilkens said that the extensive vandalism was unusual for the Youth Center.

"It was a surprise for Ballard," Wilkens said. "This building is well thought of in the youth community. It does not get tagged very much."

According to Ross, one of the keys to reducing a graffiti problem is removing tags immediately. Tags that are possibly gang-related run the risk of spreading fear among community residents or prompting rival gangs to cover tags with their own mark.

"The goal is to remove graffiti within 72 hours," Ross said. "The tagger wants a good shelf life for their comment, so if it's removed quickly and in a way that expunges the message or the symbol or the communication, then some of the individuals move on."

Citizens whose property has been tagged are encouraged to file a police report, or, if the vandalism is in progress, to call 911, Matlock said.

"This generation is taking tagging to a new high," Matlock said. "They're young people and hopefully they'll grow out of it, but in the meantime it's vandalism. "