What are the main differences between tagger graffiti and gang graffiti?
A. Tagging is a part of a growing gang-like subculture. Taggers thrive on placing their tags on as many and as prominent locations as possible. The objective of tagging is peer recognition; the tagger gains more notoriety through the number of sites marked and the length of time the tag is allowed to remain. Taggers have started to mimic gangs by becoming increasingly violent. Besides stealing materials they use to tag, many vandals have started to carry weapons to defend their graffiti from rival tagging crews. This alarming new phenomenon is called “tag banging.” Gang graffiti is usually limited to the borders of a specific home turf claimed by a gang. It is used primarily as a warning to other gangsters to stay out of the territory. Gang graffiti may also be used for boasting of crimes committed or of the weapons a gang carries. Q. Will a tagger/gangster come after me if we clean up graffiti on our property? A. Gangs are capable of anything, including retaliation for someone cleanin
