Des Moines, IA – Vandals continue to deface a Des Moines park with racist and antisemitic graffiti, spray painting “GOD HATES F*GS AND JEWS”.
“It’s frustrating to see it happen again and again,” said Justin Hummel, who lives near Woodlawn Park.
Hummel and his family love to play at the park. But this weekend, vandals struck. They painted obscene homophobic and antisemitic phrases.
Public works crews were called in on Easter Sunday to cover it up. But soon after, the vandals returned and painted the same graffiti a second time late Sunday night.
“It’s sad and disappointing, and hopefully people will stop,” Hummel said.
“You put just a few words out there like that and it has the ability to harm people,” Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek said.
Police are frustrated too. Similar graffiti appeared last December. The phrasing of that vandalism was very close to the Easter weekend crime.
The city has a security camera at the park, but often it only picks up dark images that make it hard to identify the criminals.
Police plan to step up patrols and ask neighbors to help.
“If you see something that doesn’t look right, if there is something suspicious going on late at night, give us a call,” Parizek said.
