According to the reports, the City of Oakland, California has instructed a resident who is over 100 years old to remove graffiti from his property or else face a significant penalty.
Victor Silva Sr., a 102-year-old wheelchair user who has been a resident and taxpayer in his Oakland neighborhood for 80 years, was surprised to receive a violation notice earlier this month mandating cleanup by March 19th.
Failure to adhere to the directive could result in a $1,100 fine, along with extra fees of $1,277 for every subsequent inspection that reveals the graffiti remains uncleared.
Elena Silva, his daughter-in-law, expressed disbelief at the city’s citation, stating: “It was so absurd, it’s like a joke. If you drive around the city and see the graffiti everywhere, it’s just I don’t know what to say.”
Approaching his 103rd birthday, the centenarian reflected on the days when he could manage the cleanup himself: “Just had a roller and a paintbrush and just painted it. It was very easy because I was a contractor, you know. I’ll be 103 in two months or so. That slowed it up a little bit,” Silva Sr. said.
Currently, the duty of keeping the fence clear of graffiti falls on his 70-year-old son, Victor Silva Jr. He finds the task increasingly challenging, stating, “It’s hard to keep up with it because as soon as we get it painted, It’s gonna be graffiti on it again, and it won’t last.”
The Silva family also owns a neighboring commercial property that has experienced three break-ins in the past year, adding to their discontent with city services. Silva Jr. encountered difficulties when attempting to report these incidents, often finding himself stuck on hold with 911.
“And I’m put on hold every time. So it’s hard to understand where our tax dollars are going. They can’t answer 911, but they can come out and hassle you about a fence?” he said.
Following public backlash and media inquiries, a city inspector from Oakland stated that an immediate re-inspection would occur, suggesting that the citation might be revoked.
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