Could This Graffiti Found in Maine Be Gang-Affiliated?

Is it possible that our Pine Tree State, the safest state in our nation, could be home to a new gang?

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And that title of 'safest state' isn’t hyperbole either. Maine is at the top of the list regarding states that are 'out of harm’s way,' to an extent.

According to a 2023 report from the publication US News, America's violent crime rate increased by nearly 5% between 2019 and 2020, reaching its highest level since 2010, though still lower than it was in the 1990s.

All of this being said, Maine ranked as the #1 safest state in the country. For now.

There is significant variation between states, with Maine having the lowest violent crime rate (109 per 100,000) and Alaska having the highest (838 per 100,000), while fellow New England state Massachusetts has the lowest property crime rate (1,053 per 100,000).

Now, it needs to be made very clear: graffiti does not immediately equal 'gang-affiliation.' That is not what we’re looking at here.

This speculation comes from a Reddit post on the Maine subreddit, from user daxelkurtz, who posted a picture of graffiti in Biddeford and said, "Please please let there be a gang in Biddo whose symbol is the parsnip."

The comments rained in with jokes, with users wondering if this were a gang, and what their name, intentions, or rivals would be.

One user said, "Ya mess with the gang and ya get the snips!" Another said, "Best not to go rooting around and looking for trouble," and alternatively, "The movement is just starting to take root."

Another Reddit commenter asked, "Should we parse this out or just nip it in the bud?"

My favorite comment was from someone who potentially has some inside information. They say, "They're growing, but not a lot of people are hip to them yet because they’re underground."

What do you suppose these tags that are popping up in Maine could possibly mean?