State College police release video, increase reward in MLK mural vandalism investigation
State College police released video Thursday of three people who the department believes may have vandalized the borough’s Martin Luther King Jr. mural.
The department also tripled the amount it would pay for information that leads to a conviction. The offer increased to $3,000.
An anonymous local business owner and his wife and the Downtown State College Rotary Club each offered an additional $1,000 to aid in the ongoing investigation. The crime is being investigated as a form of ethnic intimidation.
“Attacks through hate and hate-based symbolism have no place in the Borough of State College and will not be tolerated,” the borough wrote in a statement. “The SCPD and borough government overall are extremely appreciative of all who have spoken out against this senseless act of hate and vandalism, and are especially grateful to the two entities who offered to increase the reward.”
The department is still looking for those responsible for stenciling the name of a white nationalist group in a red substance over part of the mural along Fraser Street.
State College’s public works employees cleaned up the vandalism when it was reported Friday. The department released still images of the three publicly for the first time Monday.
The organization, which the Centre Daily Times has chosen not to rename since the original story, espouses racism, anti-Semitism and intolerance under the guise of preserving the ethnic and cultural origins of their European ancestors, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The group is recognized by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a white nationalist group. It’s not the first time the hate group posted propaganda in Centre County.
Less than three days after hundreds of rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol in January, stickers from the group were found in at least 10 locations in State College. That same weekend, a rainbow-colored mural in Bellefonte was also marred by the group.
Several community groups castigated the act in the days since, including the State College NAACP, Penn State President Eric Barron, borough administrators, the county commissioners and more.
“The Borough of State College has repeatedly worked to make our community welcoming to everyone, and the recent hate-based vandalism shows that there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done,” Barlow wrote. “We are all disgusted to see a treasured local landmark, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza, being defaced. ... We must all join together in speaking out against hate groups like the one that defaced our mural.”
Added Barron: “This vandalism has occurred during a time of ongoing discord and violence in our country, and as university and local community members, we must continue to do all we can to speak out against such hate and to stand up against inequality and injustice.”
Community members with more information, or those who recognize the individuals in the images, are asked call police at 814-234-7150, email police@statecollegepa.us or submit an anonymous tip online.