102-Year-Old California Man Ordered To Clean Up Graffiti Or Face Hefty Fine

A California man who is about to turn 103 has been ordered by the city to clean up graffiti on his property or face a hefty fine. Victor Silva Sr. , a wheelchair user from Oakland, was recently given a citation to clean up his back fence by a certain deadline or pay a fine of $1,100. If he failed to comply, he could face an additional fine of $1,277 for each failed re-inspection, per KTVU .

Silva Sr. has lived in Oakland and paid taxes for 80 years. In his younger years, before he started using a wheelchair, he would paint over the graffiti himself. Now, the task falls to his 70-year-old son, Victor Silva Jr . However, Silva Jr. says the fix won't last as the graffiti keeps reappearing.

"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," said Silva Jr.

The family also owns a nearby small commercial property which has been broken into three times in the last year. On one occasion, Silva Jr. found a person inside. Despite calling 911 in each case, he says he's put on hold every time.

Silva Sr. and his family believe the city's efforts to fight graffiti aren't working and that the system needs to change.

"I would hate to think that there [are] other hundred-year-old people that are being harassed like this," said Silva Jr. "Oakland has to change. The system is not working."

According to initial reports, a city inspector reportedly planned to do an immediate inspection where they could potentially cancel the citation.