Graffiti has been an issue in the Monticello for years, but now there's one tag in particular that's getting under the skin of those in the village. Time Warner Cable News reporter Jackson Wang has the story.
MONTICELLO, N.Y. -- For more than a year now, residents in Monticello have been acquainted with one name in particular.
“I’ve seen these tags a lot actually," said Travis Thomas, a Monticello resident. "They’re pretty much everywhere.”
“It had the same writing, the same letters, so it’s the same person,” said Carmen Rue, a Monticello trustee. “Every time you wake up, you see 'Beamer' again."
And it can be seen spray painted on a number of buildings in the village.
“We don’t know who comes and what time and they just write this name and you can see all along Broadway is 'Beamer,'” Rue said.
But "Beamer" tags are taking money out of taxpayer's pockets.
“It’s really messed up doing that,” said Diana Ramirez, of Garcia's Supermarket.
If a building does have graffiti marks on it, the village said it's up to the property owner to clean it up.
“If the village cleans the graffiti, the owners are responsible to pay for all the costs that used to clean it," Rue said. "If they don’t pay, it goes to their taxes.”
Garcia's Supermarket was one of "Beamer's" victims.
“If they’re putting it all over the businesses, it’s not right because we’re paying for the building and it’s not fair for us,” Ramirez said. “And right now the economy is really bad for us to be worrying about this little graffiti."
“That’s definitely unfair, but at the same time, people are always going to do what people are going to do," Thomas said. "And some guy running around with a marker or a spray can or painting on something, that’s always going to be an issue.”
In the meantime, many are hoping authorities catch "Beamer" before they strike again.
“Whoever’s doing it, just think a little bit about it that you’re not doing anything funny here," Rue said. "You’re really damaging your own community.”