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San Juan Police Explorers
In this small Texas city of just over 30,000, San Juan residents face many challenges. This is manifest in a landscape of dilapidated buildings, closed businesses, and marooned sections of the city. Graffiti is often an outcry for help.
One bright spot has been the creation of the San Juan Police Explorers anti-graffiti program, an opportunity for youth and their parents to give back. "Because young people are usually thought of only as individuals receiving services, we often forget that many youth are also capable of giving something back," says Angie Cavazos, Executive Directory of the San Juan Economic Development Corporation.
Through this small initiative to bring young people together and improve the community, 30 graffiti cleanup events were held in 2004 removing over 150,000 square feet of graffiti. Ten cleanups were held in 2005.
"The idea behind the Explorers Program is to involve youth at an early age and instill in them the importance of a graffiti free city," says Cavazos. In conjunction with this effort, the San Juan police Department partnered with the local school district to develop a presentation for children on the widespread problem of graffiti.
"On many affected areas that have been revitalized, the graffiti has not come back," says Cavazos. "We're proud of that." The paint outs have also given parents a forum to discuss graffiti and vandalism with their children.
