Central Park monument gets cleaned up after night of vandalism
Central Park Conservancy workers spent Friday scrubbing the anti-cop graffiti and red paint off a more-than-century-old Manhattan military monument — which was defaced the night before by a mob of protesters.
The USS Maine National Monument, which sits on West 59th Street at the entrance to Central Park off Columbus Circle, was carefully power-washed as passers-by stopped to watch and take pictures.
“It spoils the movement,” said Barbara Advocate, 78, a retired teacher, of the vandalism caused during Thursday night’s anti-cop demonstration.
“It tarnishes the people who really want to protest,” she said. “I think it’s disgraceful.
“It’s very disappointing to me, very disappointing, because you can do better. You can protest without vandalism.”
Other passersby were livid that the protestors vandalized the monument.
“I’m so outraged. These people didn’t have a f—king mother. Where is their mother? Didn’t their mother teach them anything,” railed Erika Mandl, 67.
Mandl added, “This is not going to affect positive change.”
“I personally will come out and protect this statue all night long,” Mandl declared.
Adline Melgen, 39, said that the graffiti “delivers the wrong message and it’s a shame because some of the people who are fighting for these rights are not on the same page.”
Workers told The Post that they were applying paint stripper to the damage, then using a mixture of hot and cold power-sprayed water to carefully clean up the mess of pink spray paint and red paint because “the stone is sensitive.”
By Friday evening, the graffiti on the monument was not yet fully cleared off.
The stately monument was dedicated in 1913 to honor the 260 American sailors of the USS Maine, which sank off Havana, Cuba, in 1898, according to the conservancy.
The night before, a swarm of protesters had surrounded the statue after marching from the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street, scrawling anti-cop messages “ACAB” — an acronym for “All Cops Are Bastards” — and “F–k 12” on it.
Videos showed the out-of-control demonstrators brawling with police as officers tried to make arrests.
Police said five people were collared on various charges including assault, disorderly conduct and making graffiti.
