In today’s Metro, there’s a front page story about “Graffiti-Free NYC,” a program that employs “low-to-moderate income New Yorkers” to traipse around the boroughs and buff graffiti for property owners, free of charge. According to the paper, these “Graffiti Warriors” have cleaned off 170 million square feet of tags, outlines and throw-ups since 1999. For the past three years, Brooklyn has become quit a hotspot for the outlaw artform:

Brooklyn, particularly more industrial neighborhoods like East Williamsburg, seems to be the graffiti hub of the city. The program originated in Brooklyn and, since 2011, Graffiti-Free NYC has closed more incidents there than any other borough.

Here’s a video of them in action (study thy enemy). The article also touches on the initiative’s major Achilles’ heel that will make writers who aren’t afraid of heights quite happy:

One of the program’s ongoing challenges is high-rise and rooftop graffiti. Though crews use a lift for some elevated jobs, the program can only clean graffiti located about 35 feet off the ground. In the future, remote-controlled technology could make cleaning all graffiti easier.

Are they hinting at the use of drones? Sounds like it. Unfortunately for them, graffiti writers stay ahead of the curve.

(Photo: Aymann Ismail/ANIMALNewYork)