2 suspected graffiti artists get new assignment

Two girls accused of tagging the Stepping Stones Learning Center nearly a week ago have been brought to justice and now will be recruited to clean up graffiti found throughout the city.

Dayton police on Monday issued a public plea for help identifying two young ladies last seen walking toward Jersey Street on June 5 after tagging the learning center at 215 Burkhardt Ave., Detective Danielle Cash said Tuesday.

Tuesday afternoon, the mother of one of the girls brought both of them to police. They wrote letters of apology and will be cleaning their graffiti sometime Wednesday afternoon, Cash said.

Dayton Lt. Andrew Booher also intends to recruit the girls for additional graffiti cleanup, she said.

In May, the police department and a graffiti task force are taking on what is being called a rampant graffiti problem on East Third Street. Officers and East End Community Center volunteers spent the morning of May 15 cleaning off graffiti painted on vacant buildings near Harbine Avenue and East Third.

Volunteers seal-coated a mural on Harbine Avenue, which will make graffiti easy to remove should someone try to tag it. Artwork is an effective way to combat graffiti as few taggers will paint over existing art, police said.

The Dayton Graffiti Task Force will place five more murals in Dayton this summer. If you are interested in volunteering with the group, visit daytongraffititaskforce.com for more details.