A statue of former Philadelphia mayor Frank Rizzo was slapped with graffiti spray paint with the words “Black Power” last Thursday night (August 17) in the wake of a demonstration in reaction to the Charlottesville incidents. One suspect from the region was arrested and is currently being held by police.
Philly.com reports:
The vandalism came during an unguarded moment. On Wednesday morning, the statue was egged and, for much of the time afterward, was guarded by police, including during a “Philly is Charlottesville” demonstration later Wednesday that drew Black Lives Matter activists to the site at 15th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
At 11:06 p.m. Thursday, officers responded to a radio call for “vandalism in progress” in front of the Municipal Services Building. In addition to spray-painting the Rizzo statue, someone had written the words “The Black community should be their own Police” on the steps of the building. The suspect then walked to a parked 2005 Toyota station wagon and entered on the driver’s side before leaving the area, police said.
The 40-year-old male suspect from Germantown has been charged with criminal mischief, institutional vandalism, and possession of an instrument of crime. The identity of the suspect has been withheld by police.
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Photo: screen cap
