They are commonplace on bus shelters and storefront windows across the city. And according to Ald. Zach Brandon, District 7, glass etchings, or 'scratchiti,' are worse than everyday graffiti.
Brandon, who owns Laundry 101, 437 W Gilman St., has been petitioning Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, for tougher laws on etchings since before he was a member of the city council.
Verveer said etchings are more serious than regular graffiti because, unlike spray paint or marker, cuts on glass cannot simply be painted over or washed off of glass.
'It's not something that's isolated,' Verveer said. 'I would say that probably the majority of Madison Metro bus shelters have some kind of etching on their glass; most businesses on the State Street have some kind of marking on them.'
Under Brandon's proposed city ordinance, etching 'scratchiti' into public glass would carry a maximum fine of $2,000, double the current maximum for regular graffiti.
