A Philadelphia memorial that was vandalized recently is estimated to have resulted in roughly $20,000 worth of damages.
The Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which honors the U.S. Military service members who died while serving in Vietnam was vandalized, Terry Williamson, the president of the Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial (PVVM) wrote in a statement posted to Facebook.
William speculated the damage was between “15,000-$20,000 in damages.”
“It just seems that for every two steps forward we take, these thugs and miscreants set us back three steps,” Williamson said. “The PVVM board was planning to take on a number of maintenance projects, including the repair of dangerous and severely damaged walks in the area of the Memorial. That will need to be put on hold.”
Light fixtures, metal medallions, and skate guards were reportedly “destroyed” and “ripped off,” according to Williamson’s statement.
The PVVM board has plans to raise money to fix the damage, and has PayPal and Venmo accounts to help them “defray the vandalism costs,” the PVVM said in a Facebook post.
As of Aug. 27, overall property crimes in the city of Philadelphia consisting of commercial and residential burglaries, motor vehicle theft, and theft from people were reported to be at 52,365, an increase of 23.54%, up from 2022’s 42,604, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.