08:22 PM CDT on Thursday, June 22, 2006

By Dan Lauck / 11 News

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Ninety-five degrees on a mid-summer’s day, in painter’s coveralls.

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Mayor Bill White does his part to wipe out graffiti in Houston

Juan Garza’s face and glasses are freckled with paint from the day’s first seven stops.

Sweat runs in rivulets down his cheeks.

It doesn’t matter because Garza likes his job.

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Mayor Bill White vows to take fight against graffiti to the next level

His job is wiping away the scrawled identities of the city’s painter-artist-vandals who see the world as theirs to sketch-lacquer-scribble upon.

Few people express appreciation.

Not even Jared Tilotta, “It don’t make sense. You can’t even read half of it.”

Jared believes if you’re going to write on something, write on yourself, “I don’t go to their house and do it.”

On Thursday, Mayor Bill White declared war on graffiti.

He outlined a newer, better, stronger campaign.

“We’re taking the fight against graffiti to the next level,” said Mayor White.

Councilman Adrian Garcia knows it’ll be a tough fight against a sophisticated foe.

“One of them uses night vision goggles. They practice writing upside down and backwards. They use harnesses. Sometimes even have someone hold them by the ankles. Really bizarre stuff,” said Garcia.

The Greater East End District first put an anti-graffiti truck on the street.

The city now wants five or six of them, but knows they’re no cure-all.