COLONIE – Graffiti bashing Christopher Columbus and taunting police was found spray painted on a number of structures at the River Road Pumping Station on Monday, Oct. 9.
According to Lt, Robert Winn, a patrol officer found the vandalism at around 7:38 a.m. on Columbus Day.
The graffiti on a generator, in part, reads, “Columbus was a thief and murderer,” “One Nation,” “#Native Pride” and #truth.”
On the storage tank is written: “Wake up and resist,” “Nothing Changes if nothing changes” and “Yo Colonie PD … here is a donut” with a crude drawing of a donut. On a fuel tank is “Catch me if you can…” below a paint-dripped smiley face.
The vandals also were self-depreciating, and left the tag “Ugly Letter Gang.”
The graffiti comes at a time when the holiday to honor the Italian explorer came under more intense scrutiny than usual, and there were increased calls to change it to “Indigenous Peoples Day” to instead recognize the people and culture he discovered.
Winn said there is no information on any suspects but police did recover the cap of a spray paint can at the facility located at 4071 River Road that is currently being examined for evidence.
Photos by Jim Franco/Spotlight News
