Beautification

It seems that the government is busy trying to make the city beautiful for the influx of foreign visitors that will arrive this summer for the World Cup.  I have noticed that a number of parks are being renovated.  Even the small green space near the World Trade Center received attention, with a number of new flowers, shrubs, and even a small palm tree being planted.

My first thought was, "You better keep these new plantings well watered.  You have at least three months before the rainy season arrives."

Sure, enough, although the plantings are being watered, the watering is very superficial.  Many of the plants are limp, and the palm tree already appears to be dying.

To truly beautify the city, the government would need to tackle the herculean task of eliminating the blight of graffiti, a task which would be nearly impossible.  Graffiti has always been a problem.  In the past, any building which appears to be vacant or abandoned is soon covered with graffiti.

I have no idea how the graffiti vandals got to the upper floors of this vacant building along Patriotismo Avenue.  I suspect that within the year this building will be demolished and another high-rise apartment building will rise in its place.

It seems that in the last year or so, the vandals have become even more brazen, and they are leaving their mark on occupied buildings.

Scribblings on the door of an otherwise well-maintained home down the street from my apartment building.

Even in the forementioned recently planted green space, the metal letters "B J" (which stand for the name of the borough "Benito Juárez") have been defaced with stickers and scribblings.

These punks are nothing but a bunch vandals.  Occasionally there will be one that has some artistic talent.

Often those "graffiti artists" will gain commissions to create legitimate street art.  Sadly, their efforts are more frequently becoming the target of vandalism also.

Many of the city's monuments, such as the iconic Monument to Independence, have been surrounded by metal barricades to protect them when there are protest marches in the city.  Those barricades quickly become a canvas for graffiti, often political slogans.

My question is, will those barricades be removed when the World Cup games begin?