16-05-2025
Las Vegas residents upset over unapproved street art
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — While murals and street art continue to gain popularity in some Las Vegas communities, graffiti remains a criminal offense – and for many residents, an eyesore.
The unauthorized writings, markings, and drawings around the valley have left some in the community frustrated, and others left to clean up the mess.
Wyatt Cowan bought his home in Downtown Las Vegas just a few months ago. One of his biggest concerns? Graffiti scattered throughout the neighborhood.
'A lot of this graffiti seems to be gang-related, which is not really good. We don't want a bunch of crime coming around,' Cowan said. 'It doesn't make it look good at all.'
Vic Najarian has worked as a city graffiti tech for more than a decade.
'There are kids [doing it]. There's 30-year-olds. There's tagging crews and there's gangs,' Najarian said. 'It's a spectrum of a whole bunch of people that do it.'
Najarian tracks tags and makes them disappear – at least until another person makes their mark.
'We usually paint most of the stuff. Sometimes we do have to power wash and put the chemical treatment on it, but most of the stuff we paint,' Najarian added. 'Sometimes we can paint a section, and they can come right behind us a couple hours later – even an hour later, come and retag the area.'
While the graffiti takes just about a minute to cover up, it is still a full-time job for the city. Graffiti technicians spend 10 hours a day cleaning walls, buildings, and sidewalks.
'We do flood channels. We do trails. We have city trails. Those trails get all tagged up and stuff,' Najarian explained. 'Pretty much everywhere. Wherever they can tag, they tag.'
And while the work is quick, it is not cheap. The city spends about $1.2 million annually to cover graffiti. That includes employee salaries and benefits, equipment, vehicles, and materials.
Each year, the city covers about 225,000 graffiti tags. That number does not include private properties or businesses, or NV Energy boxes, often a target.
If you would like to report graffiti on private property or a local business, visit SeeClickFix | 311 Request and Work Management Software. If you reside in North Las Vegas, visit Graffiti | City of North Las Vegas, and for Henderson, call the city's Code Enforcement & Park Code Compliance at 702-267-3950. To report graffiti on an NV Energy box, contact NV Energy directly.
Most graffiti crimes start as misdemeanors, but can escalate to felony offenses.
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