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A tagging is seen Sunday in Lodi. "Sur13" represents the Surenos, a gang affiliated with the Mexican Mafia. (Courtesy photo)
Residents tired of repeated vandalism on Hutchins Street
At the corner of Hutchins Street and Mendocino Drive, a long wooden fence with brick posts at regular intervals separates residents from the busy street. It is also a magnet for graffiti.
Some of the graffiti is vulgar, some is gang-related, and all of it is an eyesore for homeowners.
Alex Gaspar is tired of the fence and street corner being vandalized. He has lived near Hutchins Street for roughly eight years, and said the fence and sidewalk he and his neighbors share is vandalized three to five times a year.
The most recent vandalism took place Saturday night. The city of Lodi promptly responds to the vandalism and cleans it up, Gaspar said, but he wants something done that will prevent cleaning crews from having to remove graffiti several times a year.
Gaspar wants a streetlight installed by the fence. He feels it will deter vandals if the area is brighter at night.
"I'd rather see my money go to a light than cleaning this up every three or four months," he said.
One of Gaspar's neighbors, Ken Lorton, is fed up with the taggings as well. He just built a fort for his grandchildren in his backyard that is visible from the street, and is surprised it hasn't been vandalized yet.
"One of these days, it's going to get tagged," Lorton said.
Graffiti cleanup costs roughly $77 an hour total, spokesman Jeff Hood said. The effort requires a vehicle, personnel and equipment to restore vandalized property. Hood said the crews can be out there anywhere from a half-hour to all day. However, he said most jobs take about an hour-and-a-half to remove all traces of vandalism.
Several homes whose backyards face Hutchins Street have motion-sensitive lights. However, these lights only illuminate the yards themselves and do not light the street very well.
Hood said a streetlight in the area would cost $10,300. That cost would cover the survey crew, the light itself and installation.
"It takes up to three weeks from the order to install the streetlight," Hood said. He said the job would require workers to use jackhammers to create trenches and then pour the concrete.
Hood said the residents could talk to Lodi Electric Utility directly and offer to pay for the light. "Others have paid for streetlights," he said. "Residents pass the hat and pay for the installation."
Hood said the electricity would still have to be paid for. Lodi's electric utility pays $1.2 million annually for electricity for streetlights, that an extra streetlight would slightly change how the electricity is distributed.
"It's a small amount in the big scheme of things, but it's an amount," Hood said.
Hood did not say rates would necessarily rise from the installation of one streetlight, but that the city would have to account for its usage.
Gaspar said he would rather try his luck at a City Council meeting than raise the money among his neighbors. He said it would cost his neighbors around $2,000 each to get the light installed.
"Now is not a good time for that," he said. "The city should be on top of it."
As for graffiti suspects, "Sur 13" is one of the most frequent taggings in the repeated vandalism. It references the Surenos, a Mexican gang that has roots in Southern California and the Mexican Mafia.
The Mexican Mafia was founded in the 1950s at Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy. The Mexican Mafia influences the Surenos, but they are still allowed independence.
The Surenos identify themselves with the number 13 because M is the 13th letter of the alphabet and represents their affiliation with the Mexican Mafia. The Sureno gangs are present in all 50 states and other countries.
Detective Eric Bradley of the Lodi Police Department said the three most common Sureno sets in Lodi are the Varrio Mojado Surenos (VMS), the Playboy Surenos (PBS) and the Pobre Side Locos (PSL). The graffiti from the most recent incident is all done in blue spray paint, the gang's color of choice.
Bradley said the Sureno sets in Lodi generally get along, although there has been territorial feuding from time to time. He said it is usually resolved quickly.
"It's usually over a girl," he said.
Contact Jordan Guinn at jordang@lodinews.com
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Reader Feedback
Dannigirler wrote on Sep 25, 2009 4:51 PM:
galtguy wrote on Sep 25, 2009 4:17 PM:
Is there anything else I need to open your eyes on? Wake up!
They're not here to pick our fruit anymore. They're here to rape, rob, steal, deal drugs, and take advantage of good hearted people like you. Stop burying your head in the sand.
You want a strong Lodi? Get rid of the illegals.
CLOSE THE BORDER NOW! "
galtguy wrote on Sep 25, 2009 4:13 PM:
Here you go -
"Nationally, Hispanics are thought to comprise 49 percent of total gang membership. A majority of these gang members are illegal immigrants. Notes Duplin County Sheriff Blake Wallace (D), “There is an increasing gang activity problem, particularly with MS-13 and studies have shown that the majority of those gang members are illegal aliens.”9 Among these studies is a report published by the Governor’s Crime Commission which posits that 66 percent of Hispanic/Latino gang members are illegal aliens.10 In the case of MS-13, one of the most violent and powerful gangs in North Carolina, federal authorities estimate that “approximately 90 percent of U.S. MS-13 members are foreign-born illegal aliens and depend upon the Texas-Mexico border smuggling corridor to support their criminal operations.”11 As Forsyth County District Attorney Tom Keith (R) puts it, “You cannot say ‘drugs’ without saying ‘gangs’ without saying ‘illegal aliens.’”
http://www.nccivitas.org/media/publication-archive/perspective/illegal-immigration-drugs-gangs-and-crime "
Lodian wrote on Sep 25, 2009 2:38 PM:
" One more thing, you couldn't be more wrong about the make up of the gangs. Look it up on the ICE website. Upwards of 2/3's are illegals. "
How can you tell? "
Lodian wrote on Sep 25, 2009 2:35 PM:
Lol! Now, that was funny! :-) "
T & C wrote on Sep 25, 2009 2:32 PM:
T & C wrote on Sep 25, 2009 12:05 PM:
Please Call: Graffiti Abatement at 333-5570 and leave a message.
Keep in mind the City NEEDS written permission from the property owner to cover up or remove Graffiti on private property. "
T & C wrote on Sep 25, 2009 12:02 PM:
I have met Nick and he does the best he can to keep up with the taggers and I truly feel tagging in Lodi is far less widespread then in Stockton!
Imagine if only (1) person per block spent a few moments to cover up useless graffiti from one end of Lodi to the other! Yes it is a "Dream"....but still what a difference it would make. The community owns this town not taggers!
I am glad Lodi has someone on their payroll like Nick!
I will continue to help Nick & the community out as best I can!
There is virtually NO Punishment for tagging... That is the Primary reason taggers do not stop! "
4AStrongLodi wrote on Sep 25, 2009 10:23 AM:
Unfortuntaely we can't deport these gang members because most of them are American citizens. Maybe if people like Galtguy stopped spreading his racist ideas, they might feel like there is a chance for them to make a positive impact on society. However, just because their skin isn't white and they have latin name, they have to face racist comments and prejudice, when they've been U.S. citiznes their whole life. It can't make life feel too postiive for them. They go where they are accepted for who they are, which unfortunately is in a gang. "
FormerLodiResident wrote on Sep 25, 2009 9:28 AM:
collegegirl wrote on Sep 25, 2009 8:57 AM:
ordinarycitizen wrote on Sep 25, 2009 8:30 AM:
OTH wrote on Sep 25, 2009 8:04 AM:
It's never a good time for the city. Twenty years ago when I bought my home there was a group of teenagers running amok in the neighborhood. We went to the city and were told "oh the city cant't afford it."
So one by one we did our own lighting. About a year and and a half after we finished, guess what? The city installed a street light. By then it wasn't even needed. "
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