Plymouth Rock was vandalized with graffiti overnight on Sunday as locals prepared to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower landing.
The historic landmark was covered in mostly indecipherable red graffiti, but the number “508” and the phrase “MOF” can be seen in images taken of the vandalism. Police are reviewing surveillance footage and gathering evidence in the surrounding area to find those responsible. Law enforcement also said that graffiti was found at the base of a monument, approximately one mile away from Plymouth Rock, dedicated to the passengers of the Mayflower. Police chief Michael Botieri said that, at both locations, obscene messages were painted on the statues and landmarks, according to local media.
However, residents of the town were shocked at the vandalism of one of the country’s oldest commemorative landmarks.
“The Town woke up this morning to the destructive actions of persons unknown who chose to deliberately vandalize some of our historic monuments and landmarks. The defacement of these symbols of Plymouth’s history, or any public property for that matter, is unfathomable and unconscionable,” said Town Manager Melissa Arrighi in an online statement. “The Town of Plymouth Police are actively seeking those responsible and will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. Our Public Works crew are already working vigorously to obliterate the graffiti.”
Arrighi then thanked volunteers and Plymouth public works crews for their assistance in removing the graffiti, which required chemical cleaning and washing.
I am pleased to report that cleanup efforts on the vandalism have been remarkable. Thank you so much to the Public Works crews, superintendent Nick Faiella, assistant DPW director Denny Wood, and volunteer Jake Mowles. pic.twitter.com/HE5m5L6RMn
— Melissa Arrighi (@MelissaArrighi) February 17, 2020
According to legend, the Pilgrims disembarked the Mayflower in 1620, first setting foot on Plymouth Rock. Many of the Mayflower‘s passengers were English Puritan separatists, accused of treason for their doctrinal disagreements with King James. They fled England in part to pursue religious freedom and drafted the Mayflower Compact to govern the Plymouth colony they founded.
The earliest aspects of American history have come under fire in recent years. In 2019, the New York Times launched its 1619 Project, named for the year when African slaves first arrived in Virginia. Attempting to explain U.S. history through the lens of slavery, the project argues that “no aspect of the country that would be formed [in Virginia] has been untouched by the years of slavery that followed.”
