(Charlestown, Nevis) – Much like dogs marking their territory, wannabe gang members spray graffiti on their perceived territory, but what the dog does is much nicer, considering it dilutes with the rain. Spray paint does not. Much of the graffiti on Nevis are from these wannabe gang members and the messages are simple: we own this place; we sell drugs; and these are our members. Civic minded individuals taking the day off from work along side some local police officers and impromptu volunteers, took to the streets on Tuesday to cover some of the unsightly ‘tags’that have been painted around the island. Miriam Knorr has spearheaded a number of community based initiatives including Nevis” International Coastal Cleanup where over the years, tons of garbage has been removed from the island’s beaches. Last Tuesday, she supplied a large portion of the paint in a variety of colors. “I have been trying to match the colors of what we are painting over, but it is too bad about the old stone walls,’said Mrs. Knorr. “They are considered historic and can’t be painted over.”The crew of volunteers included Steve Walwyn and Dan MacMullen, both have done work with the anti-crime initiative and police officers James Jeffers and constable Mills among other volunteers they recruited along the way. Starting at the water tank at the corner of Pump and Government Roads in Hamilton, MacMullen said this is the third time he has painted this particular spot. “We would like to have a mural painted on this and the other water tanks around the island,”he said. “Who ever is doing this, might think twice about defacing a work of art. Right now, they are just defacing a blank canvas, so it is probably perceived as less of a crime to them.”Later, the volunteers moved through Charlestown and even painted most of the abandoned house that sits next to the Hamilton House on Low Street. Just last week, Bath Village community members took the initiative and painted a mural on the tank there. A plan has been discussed to have pictures of roles models of Nevis” past or scenes of local culture put on the tanks in the villages they were from. “You hear plenty about Alexander Hamilton and Lord Nelson, but in my opinion there is very little tribute paid to the genuine heroes… the home grown, born and raised boys of the soil,’said MacMullen. “There is somebody, or something of significance in every village on Nevis. We though it would be great if these could be represented in murals.”Murals would be nice, but MacMullen’s main focus is covering the gang related graffiti and reclaiming the communities where gangs have marked their territory. One example is a mural by Vaughn Anslyn at the Big Rock on Craddock Road the bears little or no defacement since it was painted. In some urban settings there is a form of graffiti that has been elevated to level of artwork and if it is good enough, no one tags over it out of respect, but the graffiti on Nevis is simple scribbling with no artistic value. “There is graffiti that is recognized as art and that is one thing,”he said. “But when the message is we own this place, drugs are our business and these are our members. That has to be covered up not only because it is an eyesore, but because of its intended meaning.”The bus stop in Brown Hill being painted as an example, MacMullen feels the trend is turning for the better on Nevis. “I am really hoping this trend picks up in the communities,”he said. “One community based initiative is worth 10 done by government and the more people are involved locally, in each village, the more of a stake they have in keeping it nice. The same as with the people of Bath, they took it upon themselves to paint the water tank and then took it a step further by painting a mural. It is refreshing to think that after the past several years of increased crime and violence it might be turning back around, especially when it comes from within – when it comes from the people of the communities, taking ownership of the problem and refusing to put up with the criminal element.”
