PORTLAND, OR — Last week, Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Coalition (SEUL) and the City of Portland's Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI) announced that grants were available for graffiti abatement, according to Neighborhood Notes.

The funds encourage neighborhood associations, businesses and community-based organizations to keep graffiti at bay as well as create and maintain community-oriented murals, the article stated.

According to Marcia Dennis, ONI Graffiti Abatement Coordinator, $42,000 has been made available and that grant funds were distributed among neighborhood coalitions based on their need.

Although the intent is to remove and prevent graffiti on private and public property, the goal is to encourage mural projects throughout the city as a way to increase awareness, the article noted.

Murals have proven to be an effective means of deterring graffiti from appearing on public and private structures: In some cities, mural programs are used as a legal alternative for graffiti artists to promote positive artistic expression and provide a facade that tends to be left untouched by vandals, the article added.

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