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The city of Oakland, California, has ordered a 100-year-old resident to clean graffiti from his property or face a hefty fine, KTVU reports.
Victor Silva Sr., a 102-year-old wheelchair user who has lived and paid taxes in his Oakland neighborhood for 80 years, was shocked to receive a violation notice earlier this month ordering cleanup by March 19.
If he fails to comply, he faces $$1,100 fine, plus additional feesRs 1,277 for each re-inspection. Who finds the graffiti still intact.
His daughter-in-law Elena Silva expressed disbelief at the city's quote: “It was so absurd, it's like a joke. If you drive around town and see graffiti everywhere, I just don't know what to say.
The 100-year-old man, who is approaching his 103rd birthday, recalled the time when he could handle the cleaning job himself. “Just had a roller and a paintbrush and just painted it. It was very easy because I was a contractor, you know. I will turn 103 in about two months. That slowed it down a little bit,” Silva Sr. told KTVU.
Now, the responsibility of maintaining the fence graffiti-free falls to his 70-year-old son, Victor Silva Jr. He finds the work pointless: “It's hard to maintain because as soon as we paint it, it gets ruined.” It's going to be graffitied over again, and it's not going to last.”
The Silva family also owns a nearby commercial property that has been broken into three times in the past year, increasing their frustration with city services. When Silva Jr. tried to report these incidents, he found himself constantly on hold at 911.
“And I get stopped every time. So it is difficult to understand where our tax money is going. They can't answer 911, but they can come out and harass you over the fence?
In response to public reaction and media inquiries, an Oakland city inspector contacted KTVU, and indicated that an immediate re-inspection would be conducted, with the implication that the citation would likely be rescinded.