Juvenile Delinquents

Re “Looking Past Teenagers’ Offenses,” Personal Best, Feb. 22.

Our volunteer graffiti-removal team donates their nights, weekends and holidays and much time from their families to remove the damage done by many of those that Robert Underhill entertains. While Underhill feeds cupcakes to young miscreants, we miss our dinners to scrub tagging and gang provocation from murals that dozens of good kids gave their weekends to create.

Juvenile delinquent status in Los Angeles County is even more protective of offenders than diplomatic immunity. If a foreign diplomat screws up, he is deported to face the music at home, even if we cannot punish him in the United States.

But if a kid screws up, we take him to the [Nidorf Juvenile] Hall and feed him potato chips and play games. What we should do is give these kids green baloney sandwiches, pink underwear and olive drab army tents.

I will think of Underhill every time I paint out an alley in 105-degree weather.

NEAL BERKE

Valley Glen Graffiti

Abatement Team