Police seek to identify vandals who hit city park with graffiti, including swastikas

LACONIA — Graffiti, including images of swastikas, was spray-painted on picnic tables and trees in Opechee Park over the weekend.

The vandalism occurred at Opechee Point, a beach area of the city’s largest park close to downtown.

The one or more individuals who caused the damage used black and red spray paint to deface picnic tables and trees with markings that included swastikas, and depictions of male genitals, Police Chief Matt Canfield said Monday morning.

He said the damage was reported to police Saturday at 10 a.m., which leads police to believe the vandalism occurred sometime Friday night.

In addition to the spray-painted graffiti, the vandals also carved swastikas into the tops and benches of two picnic tables.

Other graffiti included faces and the message “Ha Ha.”

Canfield said the inclusion of swastikas makes this different from other recent acts of vandalism in the city.

With its association with Nazi Germany, the swastika remains a potent symbol of racist and anti-Semitic hate.

This vandalism occurred as Jewish people worldwide are celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year festival. Rosh Hashanah, one of the Jewish High Holidays, begins 10 days of penitence culminating in Yom Kippur.

Besides the graffiti, items of clothing, candy wrappers and even a sales receipt were found at the scene.

Canfield said that because of Opechee Point's remote location compared to other parts of the park, which fronts on busy North Main Street, police are especially hoping the public will come forward with information that will lead authorities to whoever did the damage.

“If the public heard or saw anything, especially on Friday night, we’d be interested,” Canfield said.

The chief said oftentimes people behind this sort of activity will tell others or brag about it.

Matt Mansur, the city’s assistant director of recreation facilities, said the graffiti will be cleaned up as much as possible, as soon as possible.

“We can paint over the picnic tables, but we can’t paint over the trees,” he explained.

Vandalism is an ongoing problem in city parks, but this incident was more destructive than others in the past.

“This was pretty bad,” Mansur said.

In addition to the content of the graffiti, Canfield said police are especially interested in a pair of sweatpants and a Laconia Sachems T-shirt which were found neatly laid out on the ground next to one of the damaged picnic tables.

“They were purposely placed,” the chief said of the arrangement of the clothing which imitates someone lying on the ground.

Canfield urged anyone with information to call the department at 603-524-5252. Those who wish to leave information anonymously can do so through the Tip411 app, or by calling the department’s crime line at 603-527-1717.