It is the purpose and intent of this article to help prevent the spread of graffiti and to establish a program for its removal from public and private property. The spread of graffiti on public and private buildings, walls, signs and other structures or places or other surfaces causes blight within the city, resulting in a genuine threat to life, economic losses to businesses in terms of physical property, profits and goodwill, and the general deterioration of property and business values, for adjacent and surrounding properties. Not only is graffiti a property crime, but it is also a social crime on the quality of life and freedom from intimidation that citizens desire within their neighborhoods.
(Prior Code, § 10-6-2) Penalty, see Vol. I, § 1-1-11