Penn Treaty Park vandalized; reward offered for information

Earlier this week, vandals entered Penn Treaty Park and defaced the statue of William Penn, the stone surrounding the Penn monument, the old Treaty Tree area and large portions of the park’s walkway.

The Friends of Penn Treaty Park estimated it would cost “thousands” of dollars to repair the damage, and in a printed statement said it may not even be possible to repair everything. “The stone that surrounds the monument and the monument itself is very sensitive and paint is not easily removed from it.”

But Wednesday, after word of the graffiti got out, there was good news: Friends of Penn Treaty Park President AJ Thompson said that much of the graffiti has been power-washed away. He’s not certain who did the power washing. “It could have been the city, but we have no idea,” he said. “Most of it is gone.”

Some areas will still need to be cleaned with an acid treatment, he said.

The Friends are offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of any individual connected to the recent graffiti incident at the park.  The Friends ask that anyone with information call the police, or email info@penntreatypark.org. 

Contact the reporter at kgates@planphilly.com