ARLINGTON, Wash. — Spring cleaning is underway in Snohomish County. Vikki McMurray is a one-woman army who created the Arlington Graffiti Brigade.
She says it was around 2016 that she noticed her surroundings were increasing being spray-painted with graffiti and wanted to do something about it.
She bought some paint and supplies and just started covering up the vandalism one wall at a time. After she shared photos of her work on Facebook, slowly but surely volunteers started to join her effort — often painting the same fence more than once a week.
McMurray says her persistence is paying off after years of battling the graffiti. York Memorial Park in the Smokey Point neighborhood was a stretch that was mostly covered in unwanted spray paint. For the first time in years, the vandalism seems to have subsided, she said.
It's a small but important victory for the dedicated volunteer painters. The victory for McMurray also came in the form of a vehicle donation. A used van was given to her so she could transport supplies. It also became her mobile advertisement.
An Arlington Graffiti Brigade magnet was attached to the door with a phone number to call and report graffiti. McMurray and her team ambitiously aim to “wipe out” the graffiti in 24 to 48 hours.
The team doesn't just cover up the tag, they cover up the entire fence or wall, leaving little evidence of the defacement.
That promise became more challenging when the van broke down and was in need of serious repair. Once again, the internet took over and a fundraiser was set up to assist with the repairs.
McMurray gets emotional when she recalls how quickly the community fixed the problem.
“It blew me away, we literally had that thing funded in less than 24 hours. I literally was in tears,” McMurray said.
The Arlington Graffiti Brigade is back in motion and McMurray says it’s important to keep the project going.
“Graffiti costs American communities more than $8 billion a year. It hurts property values, drives away business and sends the message that nobody cares about the community.”
Clearly, McMurray cares.
The Arlington Graffiti Brigade hopes to inspire other communities to take back their surroundings. Their motto and goal" "Taking back our city: one wall, one fence, one 'tag' at a time."