I am a young man who made a huge mistake. I was involved in the recent gang
graffiti incident on Vogelweh. There’s really no excuse for what I did, and this is an example of how peer pressure can get the best of anyone. I’m not a gang member and I’m not affiliated with any gangs, but I made a poor decision about the people
I chose as friends.
While it may seem cool to paint a building, getting caught gives it a whole new feeling.
Here’s what it’s like: The moment you realize you’re being investigated and
someone may be following you every-where, is the moment you realize graffiti
isn’t cool. And once you’re caught, you have no personal freedom, just day after day of community service.
Every minute of it you can only think to yourself, “This wasn’t worth it.” As the hours go by, you’d like to blame other people for it, but in your head you know it was your own fault.
Aside from learning that friends should be chosen wisely, I’ve learned from this experience that it’s important to respect other people’s property. People work hard to keep our community safe and clean, so I’m writing this to help others understand the severity of graffiti and what is waiting for those who do it.
Something like this affects so many other people, like your parents when they have to leave work early to pick you up and when they lose their Saturdays and Sundays while they watch you clean up trash and sweep leaves.
The entire time you sit there wishing that all the punishment would be yours alone, but in reality, your whole family is punished for what you did.
Fun-filled days of hanging out with your friends are gone, and it’s just you with the consequences of your actions. For anyone who thinks graffiti is cool and you can get away with it – you have another thing coming.
Sure, you may get away with it for the first time or two, but it will eventually catch up to you and you’ll sit there wishing you never did it the first time.
I want to apologize to anybody this affected and anyone else that I embarrassed with my actions. Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone learns from them. Believe me, I have learned from mine.
There is nothing worth losing all fun and freedom.
A situation like mine is where you learn to appreciate the small things, like being able to go to the store without having to worry about being watched or knowing your parents are wondering if you can be trusted while you’re out.
Again, to anyone who thinks painting graffiti is worth it, know that it’s not, and remember that you and your family will pay the consequences.
I hope this will all be behind me one day and I will regain the trust I had from everyone before I made such a bad decision.
Twitter
Facebook
News for the Ramstein, Kaiserslautern, Landstuhl & Baumholder military communities in Germany 
I am a young man who made a huge mistake. I was involved in the recent gang
graffiti incident on Vogelweh. There’s really no excuse for what I did, and this is an example of how peer pressure can get the best of anyone. I’m not a gang member and I’m not affiliated with any gangs, but I made a poor decision about the people
I chose as friends.
While it may seem cool to paint a building, getting caught gives it a whole new feeling.
Here’s what it’s like: The moment you realize you’re being investigated and
someone may be following you every-where, is the moment you realize graffiti
isn’t cool. And once you’re caught, you have no personal freedom, just day after day of community service.
Every minute of it you can only think to yourself, “This wasn’t worth it.” As the hours go by, you’d like to blame other people for it, but in your head you know it was your own fault.
Aside from learning that friends should be chosen wisely, I’ve learned from this experience that it’s important to respect other people’s property. People work hard to keep our community safe and clean, so I’m writing this to help others understand the severity of graffiti and what is waiting for those who do it.
Something like this affects so many other people, like your parents when they have to leave work early to pick you up and when they lose their Saturdays and Sundays while they watch you clean up trash and sweep leaves.
The entire time you sit there wishing that all the punishment would be yours alone, but in reality, your whole family is punished for what you did.
Fun-filled days of hanging out with your friends are gone, and it’s just you with the consequences of your actions. For anyone who thinks graffiti is cool and you can get away with it – you have another thing coming.
Sure, you may get away with it for the first time or two, but it will eventually catch up to you and you’ll sit there wishing you never did it the first time.
I want to apologize to anybody this affected and anyone else that I embarrassed with my actions. Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone learns from them. Believe me, I have learned from mine.
There is nothing worth losing all fun and freedom.
A situation like mine is where you learn to appreciate the small things, like being able to go to the store without having to worry about being watched or knowing your parents are wondering if you can be trusted while you’re out.
Again, to anyone who thinks painting graffiti is worth it, know that it’s not, and remember that you and your family will pay the consequences.
I hope this will all be behind me one day and I will regain the trust I had from everyone before I made such a bad decision.