Tampa police investigate vandalism to art depicting African American history at park

TAMPA, Fla. - Authorities are investigating a case of vandalism at Perry Harvey Park in the heart of Tampa – once the vibrant core of the city's African American heritage. 

The Tampa Police Department said artwork depicting African American history at the park was vandalized overnight. There were thousands of dollars worth of damages caused to the artwork. 

"This isn’t something that needs to be repaired," TPD Maj. Eric DeFelice said. "You see the damage is significant to these tiles, the thick glass. They’re absolutely destroyed."

According to TPD, the artwork that was vandalized is a collection of four major artworks that tell the story of the African American community and Historic Central Avenue.

"The work itself is not just a tile that you can go buy at Lowe’s or Home Depot," DeFelice said. "These were put together, handcrafted by two artisans who live in New York and came down here and did outstanding work. So, they’re almost irreplaceable."

Additionally, a nearby city kiosk at the park that was designed to help residents and visitors explore the city was vandalized. Police say there have been one or two minor incidents of vandalism here before, but nothing of this magnitude.

"The vandalism of this artwork is an insult to our community and to all those who contributed to its creation," Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said. "It is disappointing to think anyone would cause destruction to this artistic representation of our city's history. We are working to identify those responsible for this senseless act."

Detectives are working to gather evidence and develop leads to apprehend the vandals, according to police. They will try to work with nearby residents and local business partners to review any video footage that may have been captured in the area.

Police are going to try to contact the artists to see if the artwork can be recreated, but there is no guarantee.