INDIANAPOLIS — Residents in a west side neighborhood say they are fed up with vandalism and are fighting back.
“It’s just defacing the neighborhood,” Torri Abrams told WRTV.
Haughville neighbors say they’ve been dealing with graffiti on businesses, garages and churches for years.
“When I ride through the neighborhood, it looks like they don’t care what they are tagging,” Cassandra Jones said.
Jones says she has been the director of Harmony House Christian Childcare for the last 14 years. The side of her building is now covered in graffiti.
“It hurt my heart. You can obviously tell that this is a childcare, but they just don’t care,” Jones said.
Now, they are coming together with local leaders and business owners to put a stop to it.
“We are not out to get no one in trouble, we just want them to stop. We don’t know who is doing it, why they are doing it. We just want them to respect other folks’ property,” Pastor Robert Laster Sr. said.
Neighbors say the graffiti is impacting businesses and neighbors financially as they clean it up, as well as posing questions about public safety.
“For someone to come along and try to make it look bad. We pray that they will wake up and realize that this is a good neighborhood,” Pastor Edward Turner told WRTV.
Neighbors say they have been working to revitalize the area for years. They say they just want whoever is doing this to remember there are people here who care about their neighborhood.
“If you care about your neighborhood and you want people to recognize your neighborhood, don’t tear up your neighborhood,” Jones said.
"Haughville Strong" is holding meetings at 6 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month at the Westside Community Center to put forth efforts to cover up the graffiti.
IMPD says it’s aware of multiple incidents of graffiti across Indy’s west side. The department tells WRTV graffiti, when done without the owner’s permission on public or private property, is illegal and will not be tolerated.
IMPD says residents can expect to see an increase in proactive police patrols in the areas targeted by these vandals. If you witness someone actively engaging in graffiti or other acts of vandalism, report it immediately by calling 911 to help prevent further damage.
The department says neighbors are asked to provide detailed information such as the location, a description of the individual(s), vehicle descriptions, and any other identifying details.
For delayed reports of graffiti or vandalism, please call the non-emergency number at 317-327-3811. You can also complete a vandalism report online by clicking here.
Anyone with any information or video footage showing suspects or vehicles involved in recent cases of vandalism is asked to call the non-emergency number.
