Attracting the Neighbors

The Western Queens Gazette explains what drew some graffiti people to the neighborhood:

The meeting concluded with Deputy Inspector Kavanagh’s report. In general, the crime rate continues to fall, he said, though grand larceny stubbornly refuses to. Drug dealing is also in decline in the precinct, he said, citing the good work of Lieutenant Mark Wachter and his men in achieving that situation. The graffiti arrest took place Wednesday, April 8, when two cars in the area aroused police suspicion. When their drivers were stopped for questioning, the police discovered a total of 55 cans of spray paint and other marking material in the cars. When they were arrested, the suspects were found to be from the Throgs Neck section of The Bronx, and it transpired they have a huge reputation in that borough. It seems they were attracted to Queens by the prospect of all the wall space made available by the reconstruction, circa 2001-2007, of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway between Woodside and East Elmhurst.