Stockton graffiti cleaning group honored with ribbon cutting
STOCKTON - As a celebration of their work to help combat graffiti and beautify Stockton, The Graffiti Abatement Society hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday morning and were presented with a certificate of appreciation from the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce.
The ceremony, which took place at the corner of Weber Avenue and San Joaquin Street in front of the Zeiter Eye Medical Group, brought together community leaders, local businesses, volunteers, and supporters crucial to the organization's success.
During the event, community members gave speeches and volunteers were invited to get started on one of the society's projects: touching up the paint outside of the eye doctor building which had already had graffiti covered but needed some perfecting.
"Youngsters like to do it," Director of The Graffiti Abatement Society Dennis Cochran said, speaking of the work his nonprofit does. "It's a fun thing. Actually, when they do the work, these kids would come and say, 'Well, you know, I don't like doing graffiti anymore,'"
Dennis Cochran first started The Graffiti Abatement Society 20 years ago after his career selling chemicals to the government came to an end, he said. When the Postal Service stopped purchasing his graffiti chemicals, he decided to sell his services instead. It was through these first few contracts painting mailboxes that he learned how to match colors, and he was soon making graffiti disappear from brick, trees, and sidewalks.
Now he leads a team of three paid staff members and volunteers in tackling graffiti-related issues around Stockton--he estimates that he has provided services to anywhere from 300-400 different locations.
Among those in attendance at the ceremony were members of the Stockton Chamber of Commerce, the Stockton Rotary Club, the Grandfather's Club, and representatives from Assemblyman Carlos Villapudua and Congressman Josh Harder's offices. State Senate candidate Edith Villapudua was also in attendance.
For Cochran, having the Chamber of Commerce attend the ceremony was a "big deal."
"When you have the Chamber of Commerce, all of a sudden, you have a whole huge system of backing, and it makes a lot of difference," Cochran said.