
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, November 28, 1993                   TAG: 9311280088
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: D-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                                LENGTH: Short

VIRGINIA BEACH AWASH IN WAVE OF GRAFFITI `ART'

A wave of graffiti has raised concerns about whether gangs are at work in the illegal displays of art, but police say they have no evidence of gang involvement.

The paintings on the exterior walls of businesses and on wooden fences have ranged from small symbols to elaborate, multicolored murals.

"If it kept up at this rate, we'd be New York City in 10 months," said Steve Leigh, whose Kempsville business was one of those "tagged" by graffiti vandals.

The Kempsville area has been hit hard, but the graffiti isn't confined to there, said Mayor Meyera Oberndorf. Other eyesores have cropped up on the Virginia Beach Center for the Arts near the oceanfront.

The mayor plans to meet with the city attorney to discuss an age restriction on the sale of spray paint. Some cities in the Northeast have similar restrictions.

A conviction of vandalism carries up to one year in jail. But Oberndorf liked the idea of having offenders pull cleanup duty.

by CNB