AUSTIN, Texas — City officials have taken down graffiti and hate speech from a sign at Veterans Park near downtown following an outcry from Republican politicians over the disturbing message.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), whose district is southwest of Austin but just four miles from the site of the vandalism, spoke out Sunday after he learned the city park’s main sign had been painted with a line through “Veterans” and “DEATH” written below it.
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“Let’s get this fixed asap,” Roy wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
Let’s get this fixed asap https://t.co/JImsekJIpP
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) June 18, 2023
Texas Commissioner of General Land Dawn Buckingham tweeted on Monday for the city to take action and called the act “despicable.”
This is despicable. Our #TexasVeterans deserve better. @AustinCityParks what are you doing to fix this? https://t.co/pxf0EmHo7H
— Dawn Buckingham (@DrBuckinghamTX) June 19, 2023
The Washington Examiner called attention to the sign over the weekend. It is not clear how long the sign has been in disrepair.
Austin Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Rebecca Szeto wrote in an email Monday afternoon that the department was “made aware of the vandalized sign,” but did not state when it had learned of the vandalism or how long the sign had been in that condition.
As of 2 p.m. local time Monday, the sign had been washed off and restored.
The incident was the latest in a string of similar vandalism incidents committed at veteran sites nationwide, though they are not believed to be connected.
In late May, vandals struck a city park in Salisbury, North Carolina, where townspeople had set out American flags to honor deceased veterans ahead of Memorial Day.
In April, the tall glass panes of the Kern County Veterans Memorial in Bakersfield, California, were smashed.
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Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Democratic Mayor Kirk Watson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
