I received a call back from Rita Murphy today. She said the Finance Dept. and the Mayor's office are working on the budget to get the cameras up. They are very costly, and the issue needs to be addressed delicately.

I offered to help on the project when it gets closer to being put into effect.

I left a message with Rita Murphy's office regarding the graffiti. I wanted to ask her for help on removing it and keeping it off permantly with the camera projecet.

Ellen

I e-mailed ONS Dir. Rita Murphy today and asked for her help in getting and keeping the graffiti off the Cypress street overpass.

Here is an excerpt from my e-mail:

-- -- -- -- --

“Hi Rita,

. . . I have a favor to ask of you. You know how bad the situation is with the feud between East Side and South Side youth: our Lt. Schiavulli has done a good job of keeping a lid on it here.

But we really think the graffiti on the Cypress street overpass should be removed ASAP.

It may be connected with the gang calling themselves the East Side Boyz and a turf marker .

This gang graffiti is on the Cypress street overpass cement wall, front, and the north, downhill side.

It also defaces what we have come to call the "Gateway" to Mt. Hope and to the East Side and as such we don't want it to give a bad impression.

Calls have been made to K. Jackson, Anti-Graffiti line, and Lt. Schiavulli. The graffiti is on the list we've been told.

We'd like to ask the city to monitor the overpass and to keep it clean-- to prioritize it and remove any future graffiti at once

I was wondering if you could make a call to help expedite our request and move it up to the top of the list and put high priority on it to get it done ASAP.

I think it is important given what has been going on in the city, don't you.

Anything you could do for us would be appreciated, as always.

Thanks, Rita,

Irene Twomey
GCCC

Photos attached”

-- -- -- --

Rita has always helped us in the past. I am sure she understands the symbolic nature of the Cypress overpass location as a main thoroughfare that most of us use to enter our neighborhood and the psychological effect of the graffiti on both the law-abiding citizens and the criminal element. I also made a phone call to Lt. Schavulli, and asked him to call the Graffiti line and support our effort to expedite the graffiti removal. He promised to help.