The problem of street graffiti is typically described with fairly innocuous words like “nuisance” and “eyesore.” Conventional wisdom often says this is an issue linked to rebellious teens looking for a route to self-expression — and we should cut them a bit of slack. If our property gets tagged, we’re supposed to hurry and paint over it lest we be seen as a soft target.

The first error with this way of thinking is that it’s too reactive, and treats a social ill like a mild natural phenomenon — i.e., graffiti, like snow, needs to be cleaned up wherever it falls. The second is that it drastically understates the threat an increasing graffiti problem poses to Tooele.

Obviously, graffiti blights our downtown area, making it less attractive to pedestrians and businesses. But it also sends a more subtle message, one that’s evident in any ghetto anywhere in America: The rule of law is not strong here. That may be more perception than reality, particularly in a relatively safe city like Tooele, but it’s not a perception we want to become commonplace. When several downtown buildings have graffiti on them, residents begin to wonder what other petty crimes are being tolerated.

City officials have said that Tooele’s graffiti problem, once confined mainly to public areas and buildings, is now spreading to residential neighborhoods. That changes the equation from “someone should do something about that” to “what are we going to do about that?” Now neighbors are forced to band together in an effort to police their homes and fences, and must spend hours cleaning up after a tagging attack.

This cannot be regarded as a form of teenage mischief. Even if the culprits are young, the consequences of their actions degrade the quality of life in Tooele.

The city has been publicizing a $250 reward for any information leading to the arrest of anyone spreading graffiti. That’s a good start, but we have to ask if penalties for this infraction are serious enough and whether those penalties are widely known, particularly among teenagers and their parents. A talking-to by police is not sufficient to stop kids doing graffiti.

Combating graffiti will require a community effort. Parents need to know what their kids are up to, homeowners and business people need to report incidents of tagging when they occur, merchants need to adhere to the Tooele City code banning anyone under 18 from purchasing markers or spray paint, and the cops and courts need to demonstrate that there are substantial punishments for scrawling all over our town.