To an untrained eye, graffiti is just random spray paint.  A short crash course, like the course provided by Rebecca Beaty at last months Neighborhood Watch, however, empowers people to be able to read between the lines.

Here in Rome, the gangs are described as hybrid type gangs and wanna-be gangsters. This makes them harder to track thru graffiti.  However loose the tagging is, there are common threads to its language through color, lines, and symbols.
Nevertheless, make no mistake, the signs and symbols are present in all gang graffiti.  Just about every scribble means something. In the example above, two rival gangs have been "x'd" out in blue, a color of the "Crips" and the X is a sign of disrespect to the other gang.

Crips names are usually in blue.  Their rivals, Bloods, are in red.  The Surenos sign is SUR and the number 13, usually the Roman numeral 13 for M, the 13th letter of the alphabet, with M standing for Mexican Mafia.
Note in the example above that the red B in Bandits has been lined out with a dominate downward arrow.  There are also many signs of disrespect, like using another gang's symbol upside down. Traditionally an X-out means disrespect to the person who originally put the graffiti up there. The people responsible for this graffiti and gang crime aren't members of the original gangs out of Chicago or Los Angeles but are in loosely organized groups that mimic those gangs, these are our neighbors, our kids and our responsibility.

There are three R's to Graffiti: REPORT it to police, neighborhood watch and city ward council.  RECORD it, Take pictures immediately and date them, take follow up pictures noting any rival activity.  Finally, if it is on your property or your neighbors property REMOVE it.

A task force to combat Graffiti is currently being formed, if interested in helping out feel free to contact this website.