MEMPHIS, Tenn. – “Spicy:” a word plastered all over Memphis, despite some state leaders’ attempts to erase it. Memphis Police have been looking for help identifying the man behind the spray can.
This suspected graffiti artist is wanted for felony vandalism.
“It’s an eyesore to see all the inkage,” one resident said.
Spicy has been popping up across Memphis on buildings, pillars, and underpasses. The Memphis Police Department is hunting for the person behind the spray can, releasing these images of the suspect.
“That is something small. There’s much more going on than that. All this killing and babies going missing. They can focus harder on that,” another man said.
MPS said the suspect has tagged “Spicy” on concrete walls along I-240 several times since June, going as far as taunting TDOT for painting over his graffiti by tagging “Spicy” again with a message: “Thanks for your service TDOT.”
“People shouldn’t fear it. It is a pain if you have to keep painting over it, but the best way to prevent illegal tagging is to have a mural painted there,” said Karen Golightly, the director of Paint Memphis.
Painting a mural is exactly the kind of thing Paint Memphis has given artists the opportunity to do. “We love having grafitti writers at Paint Memphis and one of the reasons is because they get to do amazing work and take their time doing it. As oppose to doing something fast and illegal. And of course, we would welcome ‘Spicy.'” said Golightly.
In just two months, Memphis police said the graffiti has caused more than $6,500 in damage.
If you recognize the man in the photos we just showed you call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH. They are offering a reward.
Nicole Lawrence of TDOT also provided a statement: “Addressing graffiti requires significant resources and millions of dollars each year, encompassing both cleaning and painting over the vandalized areas. Moreover, graffiti is not limited to walls at intersections; it also involves the vandalism of signs that necessitate replacement.”
Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood.
Trending stories:
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
