Graffiti is mildly annoying in small doses, but no city can risk allowing it to spread.
Defacing public or private property is a test, and a town that ignores it will soon be visited by more troublesome crimes. Shrug those crimes off and the downward spiral begins.
In recent weeks, perhaps months, Ukiah has seen a big surge in the low art of trashing walls and buildings. In the minds of vandals it marks captured territory, and if allowed, encourages them to conquer bigger, more conspicuous targets.
The base of the Ukiah Theater marquee recently suffered semi-coherent messaging that remained in public view far too long. A north-facing wall near the Social Services Department is right now obliterated with sloppy scrawls.
These offenses are not isolated, and if left unchecked will lead to worse behavior. The city needs to combat graffiti aggressively and relentlessly. How about crews of workers armed with buckets of paint (white, light green, beige, gray) and rollers dispatched twice weekly to eliminate the ugliness?
Retired county supervisor John McCowan has fought graffiti for many years and is the go-to consultant to fight the battle. He’s been a lone hero forever in need of reinforcements.
ALWAYS IN TOUCH: Way cool to get a birthday card from Snappy Joe Biden, sharpest light bulb the White House vegetable bin has seen in many years, except it was my wife’s birthday not mine, the card said “Happy Easter” and he included a coupon for $5 off on a purchase of Depends Adult Diapers.
BOOK REVIEW: ‘Incredible Doom,’ by Jesse Holden and Matthew Bogart (Harper Collins, 2021) is probably not a book you’ll to want to read, but it’s precisely the book your teenage nephew, niece or friend would like to get hold of, especially if the kid needs a little prodding to read more.
Set in the ‘90s, ‘Incredible Doom’ is a graphic novel (thick comic book) which makes it a quick read, even at a hefty 280 pages. It’s all cartoon pix with a few dozen, or sometimes zero, words per page. I went cover-to-cover in 40 minutes.
It’s familiar, reliable teenage stuff: Allison’s sensitive with an aggressive violent dad, burdened by loneliness and school bullies, a nonconformist nerd ’til she finds some nerds to conform with. Sprinkled throughout: the brand new internet, graffiti, gayness, faithful friends, social justicisms and a long search for trousers.
It’s a brisk, fun read by Jesse Holden, a kid straight outta Ukiah now staked in Portland along with every other talented youngster in the country. Incredible Doom is co-authored by Matthew Bogart. You can get a copy, or six, at the Mendocino Book Company, and we recommend you do just that.
SLICK MOVE: The redemption fee charged when you buy a 6-pack of Shasta soda or Olympia beer is meant to fund recycling centers, a nifty way to encourage bottles and cans get recycled. Good for the ol’ environment and all that.
The city still accepts the redemption fee but closed the glass / aluminum recycling centers. More $$$ for Ukiah; feel free to toss empties anywhere you want.
HOMELESS UPDATE: A recent report said a lone female was the subject of 230 phone calls (!) to the Fort Bragg Police Department. In one month.
We don’t know what the question is, but I’ll bet the answer is more money.
WHO STOLE MY TEAM? They tore down Municipal Stadium, lynched Chief Wahoo from a downtown lamppost, and changed the team name to Guardians. It’s clear I no longer fit the proper profile of a Cleveland baseball fan. They put me on waivers.
A week or two ago the Tribe was on TV vs. Oakland and I tuned in to watch. Prior years I’d go down for two or three games at the Coliseum, but that was then.
Watching the telecast while still saddled by 65-plus years as a devout Indians fan made it difficult to root for my newly adopted A’s. I was conflicted by old, not yet extinguished loyalties, habits and nostalgia.
I guarantee those emotional ties will not afflict me in coming years. The Team Formerly Known as the Indians has suffered a disastrous corporate takeover makeover, and Guardians is the dumbest name in all of sports.
From here on I’m a true blue old school diehard Oakland A’s fan who bleeds green & gold but won’t mind much when the team moves to Omaha or Las Vegas or the North Pole in a few years.
What’s a Guardian anyway? A chaperone? An officer from the Internal Security Division?
Guardians! The adult diaper for active men on the go who sometimes really have to go! Extra absorbency, double-reinforced for heavy loads, plus patented special Stink-Stoppers in mint, pine or bacon scent!
Guardians: Perfect for someone like you.
(Tom Hine notes that Jesse Holden’s dad, the notorious j holden, can often be spotted lurking about Ukiah and also has a home on the coast overlooking the waters. TWK keeps track of how seldom he’s been invited over to catch and BBQ dolphins and whales.)
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