For the next six weeks, the D.C. Department of Public Works will be out in force, attacking graffiti in all eight wards with paint rollers and a powerful cleaning solution. The department launched the “Great Graffiti Wipeout” yesterday afternoon (the first day of National Public Works week) with a kickoff in front of the Howard Theatre. “Spring is a time when you see more graffiti, more people are thinking about it. Part of this is just trying to get ahead of it before the season really kicks off,” DPW public affairs specialist Nancee Lyons told DCist. DPW responded to 6,606 requests to remove graffiti last year, up from 5,014 requests in 2014 (but still much lower than 2012’s 8,571). “There are times when it quells, but it’s never going to be over,” Lyons adds. Photographer Mark Hoelscher went out with the team and a large group of volunteers to find beauty in the breakdown.