Vandals tag multiple spots downtown with graffiti

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Some areas of downtown Mount Pleasant got an unwelcome paint job last week after graffiti artists tagged multiple locations.

Mount Pleasant Police Department Public Information Officer Jeff Browne said the graffiti is all over the downtown area, including in the alley behind The Bird Bar & Grill , 223 S. Main St., on dumpsters near Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 302 S. Kinney Ave., and on utility boxes and an old school administration office.

The vandals struck the bar Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, tagging a brick wall and dumpster, Browne said.

“There isn’t an estimate of how much the damage is total,” Browne said. “Each business involved has a couple hundred dollars in damages. This time they have used pink paint.  I don’t even know what the symbols are.”

In previous incidents, vandals have used Bert and Ernie stickers or drawn Nirvana symbols, but Browne said the symbols don’t mean anything to anybody but the vandal. Browne said he thinks it’s possible it is the same vandals that have tagged the downtown area before.

Businesses are held responsible for cleaning up. It’s expression, but it’s a cost to owners and their business, Browne said.

“We’re working with the downtown development coordinator and the police since we don’t have the culprit,” said Mount Pleasant City building official Brian Kench.

He said the city is trying to get in contact with all the property owners and the utility companies to figure out a course of action.  He said if necessary the utility company will have to replace the utility boxes if they can’t be properly cleaned off.

During the winter months, it can be difficult to clean up the graffiti, Browne said. The damaged areas need to be painted over and possibly power washed, which can be quite a mess during the colder part of the year, he said.

Browne said the city runs a lot of events downtown, and he hopes to cover it up as soon as possible so the area isn’t tarnished.

Browne said he wants the community to keep watch for any suspicious activity downtown.

Anyone with information about the vandalism can call in an anonymous tip at 989-779-9111.