Instead of consistently trying and failing to curb repeated graffiti bombed locations, Congressman Joseph Crowley and Councilman Costa Constantinides have decided to fund murals at certain key points in Queens.
“We wanted to do something that fit with the Federation of Hellenic Societies’ theme, so we decided to do a mural that captured Greek-American heritage,” Constantinides told Astoria Post. “We felt this was a nice addition to the community and it would also alleviate this consistent graffiti that was going on in our neighborhood.”
According to amny.com, Marthalicia Mattarita, the murals’ artist and a Harlem native said that the Greek themed murals set in Astoria where a large Greek community resides allow residents to celebrate their heritage.
“The other day, this woman came to me and said, ‘Wow, I get to walk by and be reminded of how proud I am to be Greek,” Mattarita said.
The project serves as a display of art as well as a deterrent to graffiti. Director of the non-profit 501 See Streets, Noah Sheroff stated, “We have seen a reduction in tags and graffiti when we paint murals.”
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