Mayor Michelle Wu donned a hazmat suit and blew up some graffiti in East Boston. She used the photo op as an opportunity to make another push for city job applicants and to announce the city crews’ recent anti-vandalism work.
“It helps keep our city as beautiful as we know it,” a cheerful Wu told reporters after stripping off his suit and leaving the work to the professionals.
Wu and Councilman Gigi Coletta first rolled paint-removing chemicals onto the graffiti on the side of an abandoned warehouse in Eastie, then pressure-washed much of it under the watchful eye of city workers whose job it is usually to do these things get rid of the color.
As Wu and other officials spoke to reporters, city workers stayed on the ball, rolling the chemicals onto a block of graffiti on the long brick wall and letting them set before finally spraying another stream of water.
City officials said the graffiti crew has cleaned up 400 incidents of graffiti vandalism in East Boston alone in recent months.
Officials said the city is looking for positions for a range of positions, including the graffiti removal team — and actual graffiti artists who ply their craft in city-sanctioned sports rather than on the site of other people’s property. Wu encouraged anyone looking for a job to check the city’s website or job fairs, as Boston has had a tough time hiring lately.
“What we want to do in the city of Boston is find ways that we can support arts and culture to support creative energy in ways that beautify our city that we respect and celebrate,” Wu said .
