Fighting Graffiti at 110th Precinct

There is an understated beauty to the graffiti along the Long Island Railroad as it cuts through Corona and Elmhurst, Queens, along 45th Avenue and 94th Street. The pedestrian walkway over the tracks, across from the construction site of the Corona Park High Schools, is nearly covered in graffiti markings. But here, as in other parts of town, it gives buildings a derelict, untended air.

One person keeping tabs on graffiti is Police Officer Christopher Skinner, graffiti coordinator for the 110th precinct. He mobilizes area residents, including young people, to clean up graffiti in Corona and Elmhurst, preserving the neighborhood through community action.

“As the city gets cleaner,” said Skinner, “graffiti stays the same. Some see it as art. It’s not art, it’s vandalism.”

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