Crews Can't Keep Up! Graffiti Makes Shocking Comeback to DC Streets

WASHINGTON (AP) — U Street is mostly deserted when Aceba Broadus and his three-person crew from the District of Columbia's Department of Public Works start setting up shop before 8 a.m. at one of D.C.'s perennial graffiti hot spots.

The crew's task at hand is to paint over the vibrant murals and tags that cover the walls and buildings along this bustling city street. The job may seem straightforward, but it's one that Broadus and his team tackle with a delicate touch.

As they carefully apply beige and gray paint to the colorful graffiti, Broadus explains that their aim is not to erase the artistic expression found on these walls but to strike a balance between preserving D.C.'s unique character and keeping its streets clean.

It's an issue that officials in Washington have grappled with for years, working to curb the spread of unsightly tags while also leaving room for graffiti that's become a part of the city's fabric. When done well, this street art can be a driving force behind community spirit and local pride.

This neighborhood, in particular, has a diverse range of cultures that intersect here. Art gives the community a way to convey those emotions, so in that sense, our role is to help facilitate this creative explosion rather than suppress it.

Yet, there's no denying that some forms of graffiti create eyesores and neglect the overall image of the city.

We know that unsolicited tagging, which results in a rapid degradation of our public spaces, sends the wrong signal to local residents. It detracts from the beauty that D.C.'s other works of art strive to display and damages the curb appeal that makes them an attractive destination in the first place.

Broadus echoes the sentiment, noting that a key focus is to promote the 'wonderful image we're striving to make' – one in which graffiti has a place without dominating other artworks and bringing disarray to their surroundings.

Within this particular corridor, walls that remain remarkably pristine – clean of tags – for extended periods sometimes spark heated debate among residents, tourists, and local media personalities alike.

But this doesn't seem to bother Aceba, whose no-nonsense attitude and decades of experience in graffiti eradication mean that by mid-morning, U Street's primary target walls return to their former selves, freed from most aesthetic remnants left from vandals. Instead, for both graffiti communities' outspoken voices and his administrative team: There was the understanding of shared purpose that transcends opinions about DC's 'eternal cycle' graffiti woes – maintaining a clean, thriving public space.