Chula Vista police want to know who vandalized a statue of Christopher Columbus in Discovery Park.
Red paint was poured over the statue of the explorer that stands in the park on Buena Vista Way.
Someone spray painted the word “genocide” on the statue and stole a “very expensive” bronze plaque, Lt. Dan Peak told NBC 7.
Officers were called to the park around noon Sunday but Peak said it’s believed the vandalism occurred the night before.
Chula Vista city workers cleaned the statue and worked to remove the graffiti on Sunday.
The person responsible may face felony vandalism charges, Peak said.
Anyone with information can call the Chula Vista Police Department at their non-emergency phone number (619) 691-5151.
Local
This is not the first time a statue honoring Columbus has been vandalized.
In August 2017, KPRC-TV reported how red paint was poured onto the Christopher Columbus statue in Houston's Bell Park.
One month later, the Columbus statue in New York's Central Park was defaced.
In March 2018, workers removed the 3,000-pound statue of Columbus that had stood in San Jose's City Hall for years. The piece was relocated to the Italian American Heritage Foundation.
In October, NBC Philadelphia reported on graffiti and damage done to a statue of Columbus located on Broad Street in South Philadelphia's Marconi Plaza.
That same month, Los Angeles celebrated its first Indigenous People Day in place of what was once considered Columbus Day.
Some critics believe cities across the U.S. should stop celebrating Columbus, pointing to the genocide of Native Americans that resulted from his arrival to the continent.
However, the National Christopher Columbus Association said the explorer was not responsible for the actions of the Europeans who followed him.
