102-Year-Old Oakland Man Ordered to Clean Up Graffiti on the Back Fence of His Home or Face Hefty Fine

The City of Oakland, California has ordered a centenarian resident to clean up graffiti from his property or face a substantial fine, KTVU reported.

Victor Silva Sr., a 102-year-old wheelchair user who has lived and paid taxes in his Oakland neighborhood for 80 years, was shocked to receive a violation notice earlier this month ordering the cleanup by March 19th.

If he fails to comply, he faces a $1,100 penalty, with additional charges of $1,277 for each re-inspection that finds the graffiti still in place.

His daughter-in-law, Elena Silva, expressed disbelief at the city’s citation: “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.”

The centenarian, who is approaching his 103rd birthday, reminisced about the times he could handle the cleanup himself. “Just had a roller and a paintbrush and just painted it. 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,” Silva Sr. told to KTVU.

Now, the responsibility of maintaining the fence graffiti-free falls on his 70-year-old son, Victor Silva Jr. He finds the task increasingly futile: “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 Silva family also owns a nearby commercial property that has been broken into three times over the last year, exacerbating their frustrations with city services. When Silva Jr. tried to report these incidents, he found himself consistently on hold with 911.

“And 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?”

In response to the public backlash and media inquiries, a city inspector from Oakland contacted KTVU, indicating an immediate re-inspection would take place, with the implication that the citation would likely be rescinded.

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