A local 9/11 memorial mural was vandalized this past Friday in bold black letters, displaying a message cursing the local NYPD precinct.

The Memorial American Flag Mutal has since been painted over, but a closer look shows exactly where that fresh paint is on the wall covering up the vandalism. Members of the Brooklyn Bedford Park 9/11 Memorial help to organize events here and say that the crime has been reported to the NYPD.  

The photo captured on Friday shows written in the center of the American flag a message targeting the NYPD’s 61st Precinct with the words “We the People.”

Tina Gray, who saw the vandalism with her own eyes, said the NYC Parks Department added the paint over the message. She says that the memorial has been part of the Bill Brown playground since shortly after the tragic 9/11 terrorist attack, and that each year 9/11 services are held here, but that it’s never been vandalized before.  

Many community members have continued to express their outrage, and they say that more local volunteers plan to come and touch up the memorial on Tuesday to try and return it to its former glory.