Letters From Our Readers
Please note: Letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Urban Conservancy. If you have a letter, or wish to respond, please contact us.
Street Spam
“Street spam” — the ugly plastic signs for contractors, dating services, restaurants, etc., on telephone poles and neutral grounds — increasingly blights the city’s landscape. Besides being ugly, such signs are illegal and violate the New Orleans City Code. They may also contribute to the perception that a neighborhood is deteriorating, leading to increased crime.
While street spam is obviously not one of the city’s biggest problems, it is one that’s easily solvable if enough people get involved. I’m trying to raise awareness of this issue and encourage residents to remove the signs in their neighborhoods. (Part of the problem is that people may not be aware that under the law, street spam is no different than any other form of litter and anyone can dispose of it.)
I’ve put together an overview of the legal issues and some ways to get to hard-to-reach signs here: http://twangster.livejournal.com/910.html. Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested. Readers may also wish to check out the website of CAUSS (www.causs.org), a coalition of people across the U.S. working on this issue.
Steve
noblightinnola@gmail.com
Apr 18 2008