102 Oakland man ordered to clean graffiti or face fines

The home of a 102-year-old man targeted by vandals. But then, the city of Oakland cited the man who uses a wheelchair because of the graffiti. KTVU's Tom Vacar joins us now after spending some time with the man and his family. Tom? You know, like enforcing any printed law, it takes judgment and discernment in knowing how and when. Wheelchair-bound, Oakland-born, 102-years-old Victor Silva Sr. often finds graffiti painted onto his back fence of his Oakland home where he's lived and paid taxes for 80 years. Earlier this month, he got a violation citation from the city of Oakland to remove it by Tuesday the 19th or face an $1,100 fine plus an additional $1,277 for each failed re-inspection. 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. In his younger years, before the wheelchair, he often painted over the graffiti himself. Had a roller and a paintbrush and painted it. It was very, very easy. Because I was a contractor, you know. I'll be 103 in two months or so. I'll slow it up a little bit, you know. These days, that task falls to his 70-year-old son, Victor Jr. It's hard to keep up with it because as soon as we get it painted, it's going to be graffiti on it again. And it won't last. But, like you said, there's graffiti right there. Who's fixing that? Now this utility box has six different kinds of graffiti on it. I wonder if the utility got a citation. The family owns a nearby small commercial building which has been broken into three times in the last year. On one occasion, Victor Jr. found a person inside. In each case, he called 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 ask you about a fence? I had to ask, how does one live to 102 or 103? Very easy. Just keep breathing and behave yourself. I would hate to think that there's other 100-year-old people that are being harassed like this. Oakland has to change. The system's not working. The city inspector called me back and said he will do an immediate inspection and presumably cancel the citation. Tom Vacar, KTVU, Fox 2 News. Now again, it's important to say that the city says through an inspector that we'll actually go out and do this and that should take care of it. It's very interesting. I also sent a letter, a note, an email to City Hall. No answer from them. Back to you. Yeah, it's just an incredible story when that man said, you know, they can't answer 911, but they were out writing citations for, you know, people who are 102 about graffiti on their property. So it seems like this, at least in this case, Tom, this has been cleared up for this man. Well, we'll see. It's still subject to re-inspection. And you have to realize, you know, these organizations, these big cities, so compartmentalized, you know, they each go out and they do their own thing and that is as it should be. But sometimes you have to really start thinking about who are we really affecting here where stories like this end up on the air and it doesn't do the city any good. No, it sure doesn't. Well, I'm glad you did the story on him. Tom, thank you.