The punishment should fit the crime

There’s some really annoying and tasteless tagging that’s been going on in Ann Arbor, and it doesn’t even have the excuse that some graffiti has of being artistic. One clown likes to write the word “mole” and the other writes “SAES” all over buildings and other things. I have seen it, and it is not even remotely clever. Just tacky and annoying.

The two teenagers accused of spray painting their monikers — SAES and Mole — all over Ann Arbor were ordered Friday to be put under house arrest and on nighttime surveillance, court records show.

The two boys were to be fitted Monday with GPS tethers, according to orders signed by juvenile Referee Gail Altenburg. The boys will also be fingerprinted and be regularly tested for drugs.

Court records also revealed more details about what each teen faces. The 15-year-old Community High School student known as SAES was charged with 16 counts total. Nine of those counts are felonies punishable by five years’ imprisonment, and/or $10,000 or three times the amount of destruction or injury, whichever is greater.

Four counts are misdemeanors punishable by one year in jail and/or $2,000 or three times the amount of damage, whichever is greater. The three remaining charges are misdemeanors punishable by 93 days in jail and/or $500 or three times the amount of damage, whichever is greater.

The second suspect, who is accused of using the moniker, “Mole,” is a 16-year-old Pioneer student. He faces 11 counts, six of which are felonies punishable by five years’ imprisonment, and/or $10,000 or three times the amount of destruction or injury, whichever is greater. Five counts are misdemeanors punishable by one-year in jail and/or $2,000 or three times the amount of damage, whichever is greater.

They’re messing with small businesses and little people, and the City of Ann Arbor has a  draconian graffiti policy which requires the owner to clean it off (expensive) or face fines (also expensive).

Ken Singh of Bandito’s restaurant said he has probably repainted his back door once a year for the past 20 years. Both boys are accused of tagging the same door.

“He screwed up the whole town,” Singh said of SAES. “It’s everywhere.”

While Singh is glad to see a couple of the kids caught, he doesn’t necessarily see the problem of graffiti downtown going away. He said he knows he will likely have to repaint the door to his restaurant at some point again, even if the two boys have been taken out of the tagging scene.

Ben Curtis’ company, Curtis Commercial, owns and operates eight buildings hit by SAES and Mole downtown. Curtis put the damage done by the two at $3,000 in damages. Each tag costs between about $25 and $100 to clean up, depending on its size and the type of materials used.

Curtis doesn’t just think graffiti is bad for business, he objects aesthetically to the graffiti painted by SAES and Mole.

“Not only are they vandals, but horrible artists,” he said. “I’m thrilled. I think they’ve caused a lot of damage. It’s time consuming and expensive.”

So, while I’m all for prosecuting these teenage criminals, I don’t understand why they aren’t being made to clean it up under police supervision.

There are at least 27 incidents listed. Perhaps it is believed that it would be “too much work” for the poor tykes to make them clean off every last one. Precisely the whole idea of punishment. I could care less whether the little pricks take drugs or have their stupid urine monitored. I think they should be made to undo what they did — no matter how long it takes. Besides, cleaning it up would keep them so busy they wouldn’t have time to do more damage.

Stupid assholes. I wish the story had printed their names.