KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -
Alta Vista students helped paint over graffiti-covered walls at the Westside CAN Center on Thursday.
An art teacher at the school worked with Kansas City police to spearhead the project. The center, which is at 19th Street and Madison Avenue, supplied the paint.
Gang graffiti helps foster crime and cleaning it up improves the neighborhood, officials say.
"It's making your neighborhood look bad," sophomore Selena Rodriguez said, adding that the graffiti then feeds into stereotypes about the area and creates discomfort over safety.
Students said they want their neighborhood to look nice and make a positive difference.
Art teacher Annie Craft brainstormed the idea along with Officer Chato Villalobos and the graffiti abatement program.
Vandalizing property can lead a criminal to think they can get away with it and move onto worse crimes like burglaries and violent crimes, officers said.
The school wants to use the project to foster artistic talent. The hope is to have artists mentor the students and the students then use their skills to build a mural at the Westside CAN Center. Donations will be needed to realize the dream.
This is the second time Alta Vista students have helped clean up graffiti and they plan to continue to tackle more projects during the coming months.
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