Graffiti in Cheyenne River: More than meets the eye

After 10 years of the annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam, the word “graffiti” has mostly positive associations in Eagle Butte. Every summer, this event offers an opportunity for the Cheyenne River community to experience humankind’s largest art movement while also strengthening connections with traditional Lakota culture.

RedCan is hosted by The Cheyenne River Youth Project, a grassroots, not-for-profit organization, and features national and international graffiti artists who create permanent murals in the public spaces of Eagle Butte. The four-day Jam also includes youth art activities, performances, and community meals. Thanks to RedCan, residents and visitors to Eagle Butte enjoy a wealth of masterpiece public art every day of the year.

However, to Wanbli Gi (Cheyenne River Lakota) or Brown Eagle, a resident of Eagle Butte, “Graffiti is a problem on Cheyenne River and in (the entire country).” He is so concerned about vandalism of private property by graffiti that he contacted the local newspaper and provided photos of local vandalism and research information about the seriousness of the problem.

Cheyenne River Chief of Police Charles Redcrow first said he was not aware of graffiti being a problem, but agreed to receive pictures of local buildings targeted for vandalism by graffiti and promised to “check it out.” He later commented, “Yes, there is an uptick of graffiti around town. Doesn’t seem to be directed at any particular business or area.”

Matthew Shupick, manager of Sturdevant’s Auto Value, agrees that graffiti is a problem. When asked for a comment, he first expressed gratitude for the RedCan artists who improved the appearance of his store building two times by adding murals, first in 2016 and then in 2024. Both times the artists covered unsightly graffiti with their artwork. He said that he has never seen a RedCan mural vandalized.

Shupick noted, “I grew up in Eagle Butte and I love it. I plan to live here the rest of my life. When I was growing up here in the early 2000’s, I don’t think there was as much (vandalism by) graffiti as there is today.

“When I visit other cities, I realize that (living in Eagle Butte) I have been desensitized to graffiti and trash. I don’t really notice it so much until I’m away for a few days and come back. Of course, every city has areas where there is blight of different kinds. Here, graffiti and trash are just ‘normal.’

“I have a son. I would love to see him grow up in a community where there is not so much trash on the streets and (vandalism by) graffiti.”

According to the San Jose, CA, police department, graffiti has become an extensive problem in recent decades, spreading from the largest cities to other locales. Despite the common association of graffiti with gangs, graffiti is widely found in jurisdictions of all sizes and graffiti offenders are by no means limited to gangs.

Native American law enforcement officials say urban street-style graffiti in remote Indian communities is occurring more frequently all the time, according to an article first published in High Country News. Widespread reservations have watched gang activity evolve from graffiti to assaults to drive-by shootings as gangs spread from their traditional urban confines into rural Indian Country.

“It started out as a trend,” says Sgt. Lance Osborne, a police officer on the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho. “No one really treated it as gangs because they thought gangs were a big-city problem.”  In the past five years that has changed.

Osborne blames family instability and says the rise of Indian gangs mirrors a national trend. But he also points to a loss of connection with community-based tribal tradition. “The kids who have tradition – none of them are in gangs,” he says.

Chris Grant, the nation’s leading specialist on Indian gangs, warns against dismissing rural kids as “wannabes,” or faux gang members. “If a kid tells you he’s in a gang,” Grant says, “then you take him seriously.”

Graffiti has a serious cumulative effect. Its initial appearance in a location appears to attract more graffiti and is often related to other crime and disorder problems, including public disorder, such as littering, public urination and loitering; shoplifting of materials needed for graffiti, such as paint and markers; gangs and gang violence, as gang graffiti conveys threats and identifies turf boundaries; and property destruction, such as broken windows or slashed bus or train seats.

There is widespread concern that participation in graffiti may be an initial or gateway offense from which offenders may graduate to more sophisticated or harmful crimes. Graffiti is sometimes associated with truancy and can involve drug and/or alcohol use.

There are huge public costs associated with graffiti. An estimated $12 billion a year is spent cleaning up graffiti in the United States. Graffiti contributes to lost revenue associated with reduced ridership on transit systems, reduced retail sales and declines in property value.

In addition, graffiti generates the perception of blight and heightens fear of gang activity. For many people, graffiti’s presence suggests the government’s failure to protect citizens and control lawbreakers.

According to a blog published on the website www.removemygraffiti.com, “…it’s the actual safety of the locals that can take the biggest hit from visible graffiti. …you’ve heard of the Broken Window Theory… it’s when one window is broken and not fixed right away. This attracts people to do more crime because it is seen as something that isn’t punished in the area. If you’re a criminal, why wouldn’t you do your criminal activities in an area that appears to not care…?”

The motives for graffiti may include anger and hostility toward society. The graffiti may arise from boredom, despair, resentment, failure, and/or frustration. Peer pressure, lack of supervision, lack of positive after-school activities, low academic achievement, and youth unemployment contribute to participation in vandalism by graffiti.

Graffiti offenders typically operate in groups. Being a member of a “tagger” graffiti group (a crew that tags together and has a common tag, like a team logo) can serve as a surrogate family.

Effective solutions to graffiti and its negative ripple effects vary according to locale. Bylaws can be part of the solution. Most cities have a bylaw that says graffiti must be removed in a limited number of days, or it will be removed and the bill will be added to property taxes.

In the 1990’s, New York City implemented a zero tolerance for graffiti, so if a subway car was hit with graffiti, it was immediately removed and cleaned. Arrests for vandalism increased and vandalism crimes dropped by 56%.

For more information about how to design an effective response strategy, see https://popcenter.asu.edu/content/graffiti-page-2, published by Arizona State University Center for Problem Oriented Policing.

Cheyenne River Chief of Police Redcrow commented, “Law enforcement can’t be everywhere so we are asking the public to help identify the individual(s) responsible for defacing public and private property.”

Wanbli Gi said, “The communities all need to work together to make things better for everyone.”

 

(Contact Grace Terry at graceterrywilliams@gmail.com)

 

SOURCES:

www.lakotayouth.org/redcan

https://popcenter.asu.edu/content/graffiti-0

https://popcenter.asu.edu/content/graffiti-page-2

http://www.sjpd.org/BFO/Community/Crimeprev/PreventionTips/

https://www.aspentimes.com/news/rural-tribes-tackle-taggers-and-gang-culture/

https://www.bvnasj.org/post/why-gang-graffiti-is-dangerous

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