Hate crime damages YMCA mural in Waynesboro
WAYNESBORO — Swastikas were found Monday morning spray painted on a mural at the Waynesboro Family YMCA, and police are investigating.
Jeff Fife, executive director at the YMCA, said he received a text from a staff member on Monday alerting him to the damaged mural, which he said was created by artist Nils Westergard in 2020.
The mural depicts a Black man and his daughter in a swimming pool.
Fife said four red swastikas were spray painted on the mural, and he said each measured about 4 feet by 4 feet. He said YMCA advertising banners were used to cover up the swastikas.
"It really is frustrating. We love that mural — it speaks to sort of the inclusiveness and diversity of our organization. To have somebody attack it with swastikas feels like hate, and that's totally opposite of what our organization is about," Fife said.
Immediately after the damage was discovered, Fife said Westergard, who is in Europe until March, was contacted. Fife said the artist suggested the spray paint could possibly be washed off. "So we're trying that today with a solution he suggested," Fife said Tuesday.
If removing the spray paint doesn't work, Fife said a group of local artists have already offered to help and that Westergard has provided the exact colors that were used to paint the mural, as well as where the paint was purchased.
"If we can't clean it off, several local artists will come in and paint over it," Fife said.
No arrests have been made but the Waynesboro Police Department is investigating. Fife said some YMCA staff have volunteered to scour video surveillance footage in hopes of finding the culprit. "We're gonna start with Sunday night and then work our way backwards," he said.
The mural, "Father and Child," is painted on a wall at the YMCA and faces South Wayne Avenue. It was created as part of the 2020 Virginia Street Art Festival, according to www.visitwaynesboro.com.
"It's a gorgeous piece of street art," Fife said.
The damage left Fife shaking his head, but the swift and positive response from the community to help restore the mural left him buoyed.
"That's what I'm going to focus on," he said.
Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Swastikas painted on YMCA mural in Waynesboro
