Declaring WAR on Graffiti
Joel Elies is the leader of the TAG Team. He’s a good guy battling the bad guy - graffiti - with an army of community groups and volunteers who joined the TAG (Totally Against Graffiti) Team. “Obviously, there is a need,” says Elies.
By .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
E-mail this story | Print this page | Archive | RSS
T.A.G. Team members(from left) Richard Loyd, Raymond
Lalosin, Joel Elies and Ron Lockwood
Joel Elies is the leader of the TAG Team. He’s a good guy battling the bad guy - graffiti - with an army of community groups and volunteers who joined the TAG (Totally Against Graffiti) Team. “Obviously, there is a need,” says Elies.
For the uninitiated, TAG is also a pun - street lingo for painting graffiti is “tagging.”
Elies wants 100 volunteers to come out for the group’s first clean up on March 10, 8 a.m. to noon. He asks for your manpower and donations to achieve the team’s goal of fighting graffiti from Kalakaua Avenue to Kapiolani Boulevard to the H-1 Freeway.
Donations for supplies, water and food will be gratefully accepted.
Elies says he has permission from the city and the state to remove graffiti from a list of public places. “We definitely want to also help out people with private property graffiti concerns, but we cannot do anything without written consent,” he says.
Armed with paint, brushes and rollers, members of a variety of organizations, schools, businesses and churches are involved. Elies’ church, Hope 968, where he has been a lead pastor for the past three years, is part of the effort that started with an informal partnership between the Department of Attorney General’s crime division and the Honolulu Police Department.
Not only is this a neighborhood issue, this is a state and city issue. Here are some of the legislative bills this session on both the state and the city level: The City Council passed Bill 6 about graffiti on private property, which says private property owners will be cited for graffiti and have 30 days to clean it themselves, or they can sign a waiver so a city crew can clean it. After 30 days, a $100 monthly fine will be issued. The bill moves to the committee on public health, safety and welfare, and it is expected to be heard March 27.
TAG Team members blot out another unsightly tagging
State Sen. Carol Fukunaga introduced Senate Bill 1694, which describes penalties for graffiti. In an e-mail to her constituents, she writes, “I hope that we’re able to make a strong commitment to stamping out graffiti in our neighborhoods this year.”
Senate Bills 228, 676, and House Bill 451 address various issues about graffiti. One requires that minors who do graffiti remove it and participate in community service, including graffiti removal at additional locations. Another bill requires those who commit criminal property damage to pay a fine and remove graffiti. Another bill goes further and adds jail time to the penalties of tagging.
State Rep. Scott Nishimoto, who introduced HB 451, explains what could make the T.A.G Team a success.
“It depends on community participation,” Nishimoto says. “Sometimes groups try to do something and it goes well the first two times, then it falls apart. This is the largest effort in terms of the largest number of volunteers and the largest area to cover that I know of in our community.”
Elies, a ‘91 Lahainaluna grad, moved to Oahu to attend the University of Hawaii, where he majored in marketing and management. Community service is nothing new to him as his father, who is the pastor of the Lahaina Christian Fellowship, leads his church in many projects to help the homeless.
“I’ve been trying to put some feet to our message,” says Elies. “And we want to get people doing stuff to make our community better.”
With the help of his congregation, has done paint-outs and cleanups in the past. With his church’s worship location on the University of Hawaii campus, the Moiliili resident sees lots of places that need help.
“In the past, we basically covered University Avenue and Kalo Lane,”
says Elies. “After having painted those over, it’s been pretty good. Any subsequent graffiti has gotten covered up pretty quickly, although other places where we’ve tried to cover it got messed up again.”
Associate pastor Chris Okamoto has known Elies since they were students at the University of Hawaii.
“Joel is one of my best friends,” Okamoto says. “He’s very honest, dependable, down-to-earth, trustworthy and fun-loving. He tries to stand up for what’s right.”
Joel Elies and his trusty paint
brush
Standing up for what’s right included attending a meeting of community leaders last December to focus on what they could do about graffiti. The idea of a team of people working on the problem arose. By Jan. 26, another meeting formalized plans on what needed to be done. Community members stepped up to the plate, and Elies volunteered to be in charge. Now John Gollner garners supplies. Ray Lalosin and Jeb Brown, who are in on neighborhood patrols, coordinate team assignments. Allicyn Hikida Tasaka, chief operating officer of the Japanese Cultural Center, handles publicity. Lillian Novak of the citizens patrol handles the volunteer refreshments. Mimi Gans of the McCully Moiliili Neighborhood Board coordinates volunteers.
Elies hopes to have more community T.A.G. Team bouts until graffiti is eradicated.
And if you’re interested in participating on Saturday, he has some practical advice.
“Wear clothes you don’t mind getting paint on,” Elies advises. “The more volunteers we can get, the better. Bring your co-workers or your classmates. It’s always more fun when you do it with people you know.”
For more information on the T.A.G. Team, call 258-7811.
Page 1 of 1 pages for this story
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
