There's a disappointing sense of deja vu at a Brooklyn park after a 9/11 memorial was vandalized not once, but twice in the past month with anti-police graffiti.
At Bill Brown Park in Sheepshead Bay, the handball court is for play, but it’s also for prayer. The hand-painted 9/11 memorial has been there since the towers fell, the work of a local carpenter who ran down into the wreckage to try and save people.
"When he realized that he wasn’t gonna be able to find anyone he came here and he started painting," said Tina Gray, who lives in the area.
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The memorial has been sacred ground ever since, for victims, families and the entire community.
"There’s no cemetery for them. This is their cemetery. And I expect people to come together and respect each other," said Angela Sabino, a fellow Sheepshead Bay resident.
On May 12, Sabino and Gray discovered the memorial had been vandalized. Someone had written "f--- 61st precinct we the people." The two caretakers were horrified and called the police. But a couple of local fire fighters painted over it and everyone moved on.
Then early Wednesday morning, it happened again, almost the exact same words in the exact same place.
"We’re very upset. I take it personally because this is something dear to me and it’s something to remember everybody," said Sabino.
The two women called the police again and an investigation is ongoing, but there are no cameras at the memorial, so finding the culprit will be difficult.
"Why are you doing this? Why? Why are you doing it to them? If you have a problem with the 61st precinct go talk to them. Go say something," said Gray.
This time, the Parks Department painted over the graffiti and the wall is clean once again. But the fear, of course, is that this won't be the last time this will happen. Gray said the suspects are "probably pissed off every time we paint over the wall."
Both women said they'd like to see cameras go up and police to patrol more often. But they also want to make sure this continues to be a safe place for folks to mourn and grieve, especially every year on the anniversary in September.
