Fixing Eyesores
Daley made addressing eyesores a priority. Taking steps to rid Chicago of graffitti, abandoned cars, and abandoned buildings made the city look nicer. Residents also believed those efforts were important to strengthen property values and fight crime.
William Daley explains why abandoned cars were such a problem and how his brother, the mayor, addressed it:
Chicagoans saw abandoned buildings, like abandoned cars, as detrimental to property values and invitations to crime.
Gery Chico, Daley’s chief of staff (1992-1993), discusses the problem and how the city addressed it:
In 1993, Daley implemented his Graffiti Blasters program. Its purpose was to clean new instances of graffiti as quickly as possible.
[read a press release that celebrates Graffiti Blasters' second anniversary and explains Mayor Daley's anti-graffiti measures.] [sent to photo lab]
