When community works of art are vandalized by so-called graffiti “artists,” it makes my blood boil. What gives these idiots the right to think that they can damage or destroy the efforts of benefactors who are trying to beautify our local communities and claim to do it in the name of art?

The latest incident occurred under the Bowmanstown Tunnel at Route 248 where some misguided fool painted graffiti on a 5-month-old mural which was the project spearheaded by the Bowmanstown Area Residents Connected.

It’s not funny. It’s not clever, and whoever you are, I hope the police nab you soon and make an example of you to other illegal graffiti wannabes. I propose that the Bowmanstown community, along with whoever else would like to be a party to the punishment, show up and watch the perpetrator as he or she is compelled to remove the graffiti and give a public apology. Of course, that won’t happen, because it would probably be considered cruel and unusual punishment and a violation of our Constitution.

It breaks my heart to see this kind of wanton vandalism intended to nullify the hard work of artist Carrie Kingsbury, whose mural covered previous graffiti at the targeted site.

The mural is an inspiring scene of endangered species, flora and fauna found in the Blue Mountain area of Carbon, Northampton and Lehigh counties. It is one of the artistic projects being done in collaboration with the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Trail. The project has been funded through the combined grants from the Pocono Forests & Waters Conservation Landscape through the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Naturally, BARC members are discouraged by what has occurred, but I urge them to redouble their efforts to sponsor these wonderfully inspirational murals, especially since two more panels are required to complete the project. The estimated cost is $4,000. You can help by donating to this effort. To do so, you can contact BARC President Kara Scott at karascott2014@gmail.com.

The problem with these graffiti vandals is that they strike usually in the dead of night. While the state police have promised more vigilance, we all know that they can’t be stationed there permanently during nighttime hours, so catching these vandals in the act is next to impossible.

Many years ago, I interviewed a so-called graffiti “artist” and asked him why he did it. He told me that he never vandalized someone else’s wall murals, but he knew some egotists who didn’t care. “This is a way for me to express my beliefs and the values that I hold near and dear,” he told me. I told him that he needed a less destructive way to express himself, especially when defacing private property without permission.

In trying to track down reasons as to why teenagers and young adults think that it is OK to vandalize property with graffiti, I have been told that it adds pizazz to their lives, and it is also a way for gangs to mark their territory and, in the process, warn other gangs to keep away.

To protect against this type of vandalism, Project for Public Spaces has devised a checklist of preventive actions. See (https://www.pps.org/article/graffitiprevent). Beyond that, I would wish for vandals to have an awareness of what their wicked deeds do to undermine the good deeds of community-minded individuals and groups.

Perhaps that is asking too much, but at least we can start by reminding teenagers at home, school and elsewhere that respect for property is the hallmark of a civilized society, but if you persist in your destructive behavior, you will pay the price, possibly even wind up in jail.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.