. . .Kit Sutherland On Graffiti In Old Fourth Ward

Graffiti tagging around Atlanta has been a push-'n-pull battle of sorts for residents of the Old Fourth Ward.

On Wednesday, the neighborhood, along with other communities got a chance to push back against two taggers charges.

While many communities have been wrestling with graffiti, some like Reynoldstown, Cabbagetown and Old Fourth Ward, three communities with major commercial corridors, have been at the front line of the ongoing battle.

As Kit Sutherland, president of the Fourth Ward Alliance put it, the presence of graffiti sends the wrong message about what's acceptable and what's not.

It explains why Sutherland and other Old Fourth Ward residents were fixtures at every hearing of the two taggers, Beav and Vomet.

East Atlanta Patch spoke with Sutherland and Linda Downing, another Old Fourth Ward resident on the sentencing after Wednesday's hearing to get their perspectives on its long-term impact for their neighborhood and other intown communities affected by graffiti.