It wasn’t quick, but AutoZone finally removed some unsightly graffiti that had covered the southern wall of an unopened AutoZone store in Kingsbridge. Constituents had reported the graffiti via Twitter, and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz had also noticed the graffiti as far back as July 10. After weeks of trying to find a responsible party for the unopened store, AutoZone painted over the graffiti over the course of two days on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.

 

The AutoZone store has long been a sore spot for the neighborhood as local residents waited for several years for the doors to be opened for business. A multitude of construction permits from the City’s department of buildings were filed starting in 2015 but there has been little activity at the site in recent years, making the building’s large, empty walls an attractive target for graffiti artists. Representatives for AutoZone recently informed Dinowitz’s office that they were very close to opening, and were just waiting on final approvals on a few punch list items.

 

Referring to the removal of the graffiti, Dinowitz said on Sept. 2, “Graffiti is one of those crimes that may not inherently be dangerous for the community, but it is unsightly and it evokes memories of a dangerous past here in the Bronx.” He added, “Many residents of a certain age, including myself, worked very hard to get our community through the bad days of the 1970s and 80s, and seeing graffiti go unaddressed for so long is a slap in the face to the work that we put in years ago.”

 

The assemblyman said that it shouldn’t be that difficult to get in touch with business owners in the community. “I am hopeful that AutoZone has recognized that they need to be more proactive community partners by maintaining their property on a consistent basis going forward. Our communities are only as strong as the relationships we build, and the strongest communities have vibrant businesses that engage in productive partnerships with local residents to maintain and improve their neighborhood.”