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06/23/2020 12:00 AMGraffiti containg a racial slur was discovered on the playground equipment at the Surf Club within a few hours of its reopening on the afternoon of July 17.
The graffiti was reported to both the Madison Police Department (MPD) and the Beach & Recreation Department (BRD), and was removed some time before 10:45 a.m the next morning, according to BRD Director Scot Erskine.
Two Madison residents posted on Facebook that they came across the graffiti with their son, an experience they described as disturbing.
The graffiti, apparently written in some sort of permanent marker, referenced a racial slur rather than spelling it out, reading simply “N-word” next to a drawing of the sunglasses emoji.
According to MPD Captain Joe Race, there was no ongoing investigation of the graffiti as of Thursday afternoon. The playground was last inspected in April, Race said, which means it could have been put there at any time during the last two months.
Most of the MPD’s officers were involved in dealing with a fatal crash in the north of town when they received the complaint, Race said, which meant only one officer was available to respond.
Additionally, there are no cameras in the area that could show the perpetrator, according to Race.
Race said that residents who discover defacement of property or other things of that nature at a park or beach should bring it immediately to the attention BRD staff currently on duty.