A one-time illegal graffiti artist is now using his talent to beautify buildings with the approval of the police.
Richard Young had used his skills for years to graffiti buildings and signs throughout Hagerman, N.M., located just south of Roswell. The Hagerman Police Department eventually tracked him down using the photos he posted on social media. Instead of arresting him, officers presented him with an opportunity by reaching out to him through social media.
“His art was pretty good, and he was doing some nice stuff in places,” Hagerman Police Chief Rachelle Bateman told KRQE this week. “I thought I would give him an opportunity to correct it. I made that post reaching out to him. Within two minutes, he contacted us and apologized and wanted to go ahead and make it right.”
Faced with an option to clean up his graffiti or face potential criminal charges, Young agreed to clean up his graffiti. A town councilor also asked Young to create a mural for the town.
“I think that it could be a positive outcome for him, and it could be a positive outcome for Hagerman also,” Bateman said.
Some of Young’s vandalism around town were years old. Some were more recent, although he insisted he is trying to find a better use for his talents. Businesses in Roswell are said to be interested in hiring him to create art on their buildings.
Young is now trying to encourage other taggers to put their talents to good use.
“Just get out of the gutter with that stuff,” he said. “It’s nonsense. There’s no reason to go to jail or get in trouble over a 12-ounce can full of paint. Go make some money off it. Go show your artwork somewhere. Go shine, in other words.”
Young also encourages more cities and towns to create areas for artists to express themselves. Bateman likes the idea.
“There’s a lot of abandoned buildings here, and we’re looking to try to make more stuff for the kids to do,” Bateman said.
