Graffiti spree along I-10 concerns business owners, residents

If you drove around certain parts of El Paso this weekend, you may have noticed new graffiti seems to have popped up Saturday night into Sunday morning.

Sun City residents are not complete strangers to such tagging. Such vandalism can be found down alleys or scrawled on utility boxes from time to time.

What made this latest batch noteworthy is the amount that appeared all at once, and how high-profile it was – spread on freeway over-passes and billboards right along I-10 between Executive Center Boulevard and Piedras Street.

Among the targeted properties is a big digital billboard right next to Del Norte Printing Equipment on East Missouri Avenue.

“The big billboard that we have in our parking lot, it’s kind of strange because it’s really difficult to get up there,” said Rick Olivas, President of Del Norte Printing Equipment. “I don’t know how they would have done it. They would have had to have big ladders or something, or a truck – I have no idea how they got up.”

“It never happens (here),” Olivas said. “But to do that on the big billboard that has a lot of light and along the freeway, it’s kind of weird that nobody saw that.”

If you see graffiti happening, you can call El Paso Police at 9-1-1.

You can also report graffiti you see to the city’s anti-graffiti program by calling 3-1-1 or filling out their online reporting form by clicking here.

They will remove graffiti from homes, parks and street signs free of charge, but not vehicles.