Anne Arundel PD Speaks Out About Mayo Skate Park Vandalism

EDGEWATER, MD —The Anne Arundel County Police Department has spoken out about the hate crime and vandalism that occurred on June 26 at 1183 Central Ave. East in Edgewater, which is home to the Mayo Skate Park.

Residents of the area are upset after they discovered racist graffiti covering the public skate park. Someone wrote a racist message on the property, which is owned by the Mayo Civic Association. Someone also wrote the N-word beside a figure hanging from a tree at the skate park. Anne Arundel County used to own the lease to maintain the lot, but that has expired. So the graffiti sat there until a local resident cleaned it up himself, reported Fox 5 DC.

“Racism has no home here in Anne Arundel County. Your police department condemns hateful ideology with every ounce of our being and we will investigate and prosecute such cases to the fullest extent of the law. Someone in the Mayo peninsula knows who committed this criminal act of hate and we need help to bring them to justice, said Anne Arundel Police Chief Timothy J. Altomare in a statement.

When informed of this hate incident, County Executive Steuart Pittman express contempt for the incident, too.

"I am saddened and disgusted that someone in our community would commit a hateful and racist act like this. There is no place in our county for this behavior and mindset. I am authorizing a $1,000 reward for anyone who comes forward with viable information that directly leads to the suspect/s arrest and conviction. We will not tolerate this in our home," Pittman said in a statement.

Anyone with any information about this incident is asked to call any Southern District detective at 410-222-1960 or the TipLine 410-222-4700.