The mission of the Hollywood Beautification Team is to improve the quality of life in Los Angeles through multiple environmental conservation efforts. Since its inception in 1992, Hollywood Beautification Team has planted over 1,500 trees, worked on 250 murals, and provided both environmental and art mentoring to over 35,000 school children. For a long time, volunteers have been at the forefront of graffiti removal efforts around Los Angeles.
Graffiti removal requests in Los Angeles have been steadily increasing in the recent past. Many community organizations engaged in graffiti abatement work in conjunction with other stakeholders such as local businesses, neighborhood groups, and law enforcement agencies to ensure these exercises are successful. Graffiti, in some instances, has been associated with gangs marking their territories and communicating coded messages.
According to gang-intervention groups, if gang graffiti isn’t addressed properly, it can trigger gang violence. In most cases, rival gang members confront each other when either party is caught scratching the graffiti out, which necessitates removing it as soon as possible.
Another reason for graffiti removal in Los Angeles is gentrification, whereby wealthier homebuyers have infiltrated poorer neighborhoods which causes real estate price increases and displaces the original residents. While new homeowners may not mind graffiti murals, most graffiti is often removed especially if it’s feared it will cause further crime or show a neighborhood has been neglected. With real estate prices in Los Angeles County steadily increasing, graffiti removal is expected to continue.
There are multiple ways of removing graffiti, such as pressure washing and painting. Pressure washing is the best graffiti abatement technique on brick surfaces. A compact pressure washer with a low pressure of less than 700 psi (pounds per square inch) is recommended for this task. Painting over graffiti is also a good option when other removal techniques, such as using chemicals (methylated spirit to wipe off graffiti), fail to get the desired results.
