Vandals mar new pedestrian bridge in Detroit

[bijou]

Less than a day after it opened, the Mexicantown Bagley Avenue Pedestrian Bridge was vandalized, Michigan Department of Transportation  officials said.

Numerous individuals have "tagged" the $5 million bridge with spray paint and used knives to carve into a wooden bench in the middle of the span. Others signed their names with pens and magic markers on the bench, officials said.

In fact, an MDOT employee's video camera caught one woman as she used a colored pen to scrawl on a bench in the middle of the 400-foot-long bridge.

"Yes, it was me," said Oneita Jackson, a copy editor at the Detroit Free Press and author of Sunday's "O Street" blog.

"I did it. If you see a person with a green pen ... dressed in black slacks and a red top, that's me. I was excited about the event and wanted to put my name on it."

Jackson eventually put away the marker and said "Oh, I guess I shouldn't be doing this," the tape showed. As a blogger, she has written about her efforts as a mom to raise her 16-year-old son and encourage citizens to be more patient and civil. ...

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100508/METRO01/5080331/Vandals-mar-new-pedestrian-bridge-in-Detroit#ixzz0nSWoEzJ4

[RightCoast]

I was excited about the event and wanted to put my name on it. ruin it with graffiti.

[Chris]

Judnic said MDOT had no intention to take legal action against the vandals.

"We don't do that," Judnic said.

So they'll just keep on vandalizing the bridge.  Great.

[Chris_]

So they'll just keep on vandalizing the bridge.  Great.

They don't take legal action against armed robbers or auto thefts in Detroit.......tagging a bridge gets you a "Citizen of the Year" award.......

doc

[The Village Idiot]

There is a "Mexicantown" in Detroit.

That about says it all.

[The Village Idiot]

And still they wonder why they can't have nice things.

[miskie]

I wonder if Detroit was smart enough to use that wax-based finish on the bridge ? To those who don't know, it is an anti-graffiti measure, as the transparent wax can be washed off with a pressure washer filled with hot water, and all graffiti on the wax comes off with it.. Once the formerly tagged area dries, its just a matter of reapplying the wax sealant.

[The Village Idiot]

I wonder if Detroit was smart enough to use that wax-based finish on the bridge ?

You are confusing Detroit with a normal city. Do you think they have the forethought or whatever to think of that? I don't. A city that can't afford to bury its dead poor people can probably not hire someone to clean graffiti.

I suppose their local judge and cops could find imprisoned gang members to clean it off, but really, aren't they busy running the place? Someone posted a video about Detroit you might enjoy, if you slow down when you pass car wrecks that is.

[The Village Idiot]

Is anyone surprised that a Detroit Free Press employee was one of the taggers?

[thundley4]

I wonder if Detroit was smart enough to use that wax-based finish on the bridge ? To those who don't know, it is an anti-graffiti measure, as the transparent wax can be washed off with a pressure washer filled with hot water, and all graffiti on the wax comes off with it.. Once the formerly tagged area dries, its just a matter of reapplying the wax sealant.

That wouldn't do much for the idiots that used knives to carve into the surface.

[cavegal]

Sadly this is Detroit. And she gets a pass.

[The Village Idiot]

Sadly this is Detroit. And she gets a pass.

Which explains why its Detroit.

Waiting for their Obama Money.