“We do get a variety of graffiti complaints over the course of the year, some are just tags of a graffiti artists’s work, some are simply symbols of favorite bands - but some are definitely associated with gang symbols and gangs marking their territory,” said Flatley. Sliwa added that if the property owner and police were unable to remove the Greenport graffiti, “We as Guardian Angels would be more than happy to clean it up ”Īccording to Benjamin Garcia, patrol leader for the Guardian Angels in Greenport, the graffiti was found on a trailer, and read “666”. According to multiple sources, the “666” tag is sometimes used by the 18th Street gang. It must come down within a day of its discovery.” It’s like having a permanent recruitment sign in place that kids get curious about.
It empowers the gang and strengthens them locally. “The immigrant community sees it and it reminds them of the gang-infested towns that they left. The graffiti also instills terror in some, he said. If the competing gangĬrosses it out before it’s removed that will set up a future confrontation.” “It must be dealt with seriously,” Sliwa said. Sliwa said authorities, after graffiti has been found, should photograph the scene, catalogue the photos, and share the information with Riverhead, as gangs traffic frequently back and forth between the neighboring towns. The offenders, who tried to flee the scene, were caught the same night by Riverhead police. Move fast, find the vandal or vandals, arrest and publicly humiliate them by letting them know that the Village of Greenport has a zero tolerance toward vandalism and grafitti,” he said. “Recently, the Riverhead police dealt with a case of Ms-13 graffiti with a quick arrest. MS-13 gang tags defacing an Elton Street building in Riverhead recently were quickly cleaned up, Sliwa said, adding that Greenport should handle the situation in exactly the same way. Sliwa said the graffiti must be dealt with and removed immediately to avoid fanning the fires of gang activity. So far, the graffiti remains - creating a potentially explosive situation, according to Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels.
One employee in the area, when asked about the graffiti, asked not to be named but said there was no graffiti problem in the community said the “Guardian Angels should go back to New York.” Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley said officers were sent to the site to photograph the graffiti he showed the photos to a gang unit at headquarters, who are examining what was uncovered.Īs for cleanup, Flatley said graffiti is typically cleaned up by the owner of the building, whose responsibility it is to remove the markings. The Guardian Angels took photos of what they discovered, which were sent to Southold Town police. Guardian Angels stand ready to clean up alleged gang graffiti that’s sending what they say is a dangerous message in Greenport.ĭuring their last two patrols of the village, members found a wide swath of graffiti splashed on a business located in the vicinity of 8th street, near the railroad tracks.
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