"KHAOS" tags were common place in many areas of Nanaimo through much of 2020, including over 400 City-owned properties. (Tonys Creative Web Services)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

TAGGED OUT

City of Nanaimo nabs “KHAOS” tagger for prolific damage to property

Oct 7, 2021 | 10:14 AM

NANAIMO — A prolific graffiti tagger who left his mark all over Nanaimo is in legal hot water.

The City of Nanaimo has reached a settlement for $15,475 in fines and damages with 19-year-old Kai Sei Cleave to repair what the City says is over 450 acts of vandalism on its properties in 2020 alone.

The settlement included a consent order which requires Cleave not to have spray paint for two years, attend counselling sessions, remove all their tags on public property and provide an apology to residents, Mayor and Council.

“Unsolicited graffiti is a form of vandalism that causes damage to private and public property,” a release from the City noted. “It can also impact the look, feel, and perception of an area. Nanaimo City Council will take the necessary action required to prevent prolific acts of graffiti vandalism.”

Cleave, who civil court documents show resides in Lantzville, was identified in April 2020 and arrested after being seen applying the tags near the Terminal Park shopping centre.

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“The City of Nanaimo is committed to taking appropriate measures to prevent and remove graffiti on public property and to holding offenders accountable for the desecration of public and private property,” Mayor Leonard Krog added in the release.

As part of the financial settlement, $10,000 come in fines to the City, with another $5,475 set aside for damages.

The consent order was filed in the Supreme Court of BC in August 2021.

Graffiti incidents in the City of Nanaimo have skyrocketed in the last two years to over 200 calls per year, up from 10-20 in the eight years prior.

David Thompson, city manager of roads and traffic, told NanaimoNewsNOW they’re already over budget on graffiti removal for 2021.

He said they’ve spent about $22,000 so far, above a fluctuating budget of between $10,000 and $20,000.

“We see it everywhere. Traffic control cabinet, street signs, no-post barriers…we also work closely with BC Hydro, Telus and our regional partners to let them know when their infrastructures been tagged. We clean something and then the next day there’s something else on it.”

Thompson said the biggest expenditure in the graffiti-removal budget this year was re-painting the defaced rainbow crosswalk at Commercial St. and Bastion St. in July.

The work to keep up with taggers is more reactive than proactive, however the City has taken steps in recent years to deter “artists” before the act.

Anti-graffiti coatings or wraps on high-target areas have helped as has the City’s ability to detect and remove the tags in an efficient fashion.

“I think just staying on top of things and making sure that taggers understand that we’re going to be not tolerant,” Thompson said.

Thompson was unable to say whether Cleave’s tags were their biggest drain on resources, but said his work was certainly among the most visible.

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