Can I take some of the credit??

My big picture goal that I announced, has been to create an ambiental change to my area of Mission Street.  I can declare some some success!!  The graffiti is down.   The sidewalks are cleaner.   More people are out walking on Mission District.

Time for soaking in some rays of success.

Many Cities Clean the graffiti on property for free after owner signs a release, SF should too.

I worry that the San Francisco practice of sending letters to the owners of building with graffiti, takes too much time, and has too many employees, is prone to manipulation, creates a level of unneeded governmental jobs, etc.   Other cities have recognized these problems, and also the sense that making the building owner pay, is making the victim of the crime pay,  ((Which seems doubly bad when the City does not keep its own properties clear of graffiti)...   I recommend that SF adopt a law that if the owner gets a graffiti letter, he can sign away an authorization/release of liability for the City to paint over the graffiti.   If the owner does not want to sign the letter, then, he gets some days to clean it before the fines start to kick in.

I've purposefully been going slow, and lowering my expectations.

I was putting effort into this project, and feeling a corresponding disappointment when things did not happen.   So I purposefully slowed down my reports, and efforts.

I'm thinking of going in a new direction on making reports.   Instead of using @SF311 use d SF311, and only use @ for longer term follow-ups.  

But I've got so see if I would have the same followup capabilities.

Yelling,

Yesterday, I sent in followup requests about graffiti and illegal signage that had been there for months.   SF311  replied  in all caps that the property owner have thirty days to clean graffiti.  2+2 =

Some updates, 777 Valencia, 195 Lexington

777 Valencia looks like it is going to be nice.   This was an empty building for at least a year, and of course it got badly covered with graffiti, but they are doing a nice job renovating in, and I hear that it is going to be some type of New Orleans Preservation Hall West site, with a restaurant.    This morning they were painting over the graffiti that has long marred the side of the building.

195 Lexington, still is not very cooperative.   Only after that building had the same graffiti from May to October, and was reported by me  with photographic evidence of having the same graffiti and not being cleaned, did the owners do a part way job of cleaning the graffiti.   They painted the side of the building but left the graffiti on the windows.

Hiccup

Hicups along the way

I believing in this cell phone camera technology, link to twitter can change the urban environment.     I say thinking that there are bound to be some hicups.  Me gripping now about a difficulty is just an stumble that has to happen in a new project.

I reported this graffiti over a month ago, and today sent in a 30daytimeis up message.   SF311 replied

It is too hard to provide SF311 with the SR.   Sometimes, I can look them up, it takes time.   And it would seems that the SF311 would have better access to look up the Service Request.    

Alternate idea is when SF311 sends a tweet back about a service request, that it also include the address in the same tweet.   Then a search by either the address or the SR would give one immediate answer.