Graffiti can communicate much about notions of justice. We were interested to see what U.S. restroom graffiti, directly outside of a domestic violence protective order issuing court, might tell us about the experiences of the women and men seeking protection from intimate partner violence (IPV). Specifically, our research addressed four questions: whether the graffiti thematically connects to its proximity to an IPV protective order court; whether it differs measurably from other restroom graffiti; whether it provides potential for mutual support and connections; and whether it conveys victim realities that foster a sense of community among IPV survivors.

Restroom graffiti was collected in three different locations. One was a women’s restroom outside of a protective order issuing courtroom, one was the men’s restroom outside the same location and the third was a random women’s restroom.