The crime-ridden city of Oakland, California, has finally figured out who the real criminals are — wheelchair-bound citizens who have had their homes graffitied by the thugs running rampant in the city.
102-year-old Victor Silva has lived in his Golden State estate for 80 years, watching California turn from the bright land of opportunity it once was into the pro-crime mess it has become.
More recently, he and his 70-year-old son have gotten used to seeing graffiti throughout their city and on their home, taking care of it themselves whenever it arises. However, things have changed as Silva continues going up in age and has had to move to a wheelchair.
Oakland does not seem to care, hitting the longtime resident with a deadline of March 19 to remove the vandalism on his back fence or face a $1,100 fine alongside additional fees of $1,277 for each failed inspection afterward.
“[I] Just had a roller and a paintbrush and just painted it,” the Oakland resident told KTVU.
“It was very easy because I was a contractor, you know. I’ll be 103 in two months or so. That slowed it up a little bit, you know,” Silva added.
While the wheelchair-bound citizen doesn’t seem all that angered, the same cannot be said about his family.
“It was so absurd, it’s like a joke. If you drive around the city and see the graffiti everywhere, it’s just, I don’t know what to say,” daughter-in-law Elena Silva lamented.
With his father unable to do the work, the task now falls onto Victor Silva Jr. to keep the home graffiti-free, something he claims in a Sisyphean struggle.
“It’s hard to keep up with it because as soon as we get it painted, It’s gonna be graffiti on it again, and it won’t last,” the 70-year-old shared.
Problems with criminal activity for the family doesn’t end at the home either. Silva Jr. shared that he owns a small commercial building that has been broken into three times in the last year even once coming into contact with the intruder.
“I’m put on hold every time. So it’s hard to understand where our tax dollars are going. They can’t answer 911, but they can come out and hassle you about a fence?”
KTVU reached out to the city inspector who said that they are aware of the issue with the wheelchair-bound resident and will consider canceling the citation against the homeowner.
