The Iron Hill Museum in Newark, Delaware was vandalized with racist graffiti last week, reported the Newark Post. The nonprofit organization has been facing vandalism and harassment over the last three years.
The damage was found by staff and volunteers, who were there for a meeting to upgrade the organization’s security system, on October 5. The n-word had been written on roughly ten informational signs on the property during the night.
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The museum, which boasts a restored African American school house, a science center, and 20 acres of nature trails, has been the victim of repeated vandalism since January 2020.
Thus far, the nonprofit has seen signs stolen and destroyed, a split rail fence destroyed, locks on a storage shed cut, a window on the shed broken, contents of the shed spread around the woods, and trash dumped on trails. Cameras along the trails are frequently taken right after they have been installed.
In March, just two weeks after celebrating the opening of an historical trail, nearly all of the informational signs about the Black community that previously inhabited the area were destroyed or stolen.
The museum has met with representatives from the state and county police, the attorney general’s office, the NAACP, and local officials to discuss how to address the vandalism. They also recently received a $50,000 state grant for a new security camera system and to repair the damaged signs.
The continual vandalism is financially burdening the nonprofit, which runs on a limited budget with the help of volunteers. Time and resources are being spent on repairing the damage and catching the vandal in lieu of new exhibits and programs aimed at benefiting the community.
Source: artnews.com