PORTLAND, Ore. — More than 1,500 cans of spray paint worth more than $10,000 were seized from the home of a graffiti vandal in Southeast Portland on Tuesday, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) reported.
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Police said James S. Fischel lives at the home and is responsible for GIMER tags across the city. PPB said GIMER stands for "Graffiti Is Me Escaping Reality." Officials also accused Fischel of providing supplies to graffiti vandals.
Officers served the search warrant at the home, located in the area of Southeast 174th Avenue near Mill Street, on Tuesday. Police said Fischel, 40, is out of the area, but they know where he is and are pursuing criminal charges.
Two PPB officers first learned of Fischel in May when they were directed to a docuseries published on YouTube named "CHAOSTOWN" that includes an episode titled "Portland is losing the 'graffiti war'" that featured Fischel. In the video, Fischel tried to conceal his identity, police said, but the two officers were able to positively identify him and the home where he lives. In the docuseries, Fischel referred to his home and the large stash of spray paint as "every graffiti writer's fantasy."
"It was pretty clear from the video that there was a massive amount of graffiti supplies, and that this location was being used as a staging point for lots of graffiti crime in the city," said Officer Nate Kirby-Glatkowski, "He described that as a resource for taggers to use before they went out on graffiti missions to get what they need."
Anyone with information on graffiti or other vandalism cases in Portland is asked to email tips to investigators at crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov, attn: Central NRT.
Photos: Spray paint cans seized from Portland home
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