Parents of convicted graffiti writer
accept responsibility for son's conduct

PHILADELPHIA, PA (BUSINESS WIRE) - The parents of a convicted vandal have reached a settlement with property owners who were the victims of their son's graffiti.

John Lind Jr. and his wife Rebecca have agreed to contribute an undisclosed sum to the Third Baptist Church of Philadelphia to settle the lawsuit brought against them by the church and other South Philadelphia residents whose properties their son had damaged.

The Linds, whose son was 17 at the time of the incidents and had left home, also issued an apology to the community.

Although John Lind III, known in the graffiti world as AB, was charged in March of 1995 with over 2000 counts of vandalism, he was allowed to plead guilty to one misdemeanor count of institutional vandalism.

Outraged at the perceived leniency given to Lind, Philadelphia City Councilman James Kenney promised to seek restitution through a civil suit and asked assistance from Mitchell Feigenbaum, an attorney with Mesirov Gelman Jaffe Cramer & Jamieson.

Working pro bono, Feigenbaum filed a lawsuit against both Lind and his parents in what may be the first in the state filed pursuant to a 1994 Pennsylvania law which provides for a civil cause of action for restitution to be filed against convicted minors and their parents.

According to Feigenbaum, "The challenges and negative influences confronting young people today more than ever require parents to be aware of their children's activities and to exert positive influence over their lives. We are pleased that Mr. and Mrs. Lind have agreed to accept the legal responsibility which the law imposes and hope that other parents will follow their example."