Police investigate defaced World War II monument in Charlotte cemetery

Police are investigating a defaced monument in a Charlotte cemetery.

The monument, for Mecklenburg County residents who died during World War II, was defaced Sunday in Evergreen Cemetery, according to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police report. No one has been charged, police said Tuesday.

The monument lists the names of the more than 500 Charlotte residents who died during the war.

Vandals covered the names in red paint with “Glory to the days of heroism June 19, 1986,” and the hammer and sickle symbol first used in the Russian Revolution.

The date corresponds with Peruvian prison massacres when more than 224 people died in a series of riots, according to WBTV. A similar phrase has been painted on a war memorial in Pittsburgh, according to WPXI, and in multiple locations in Missouri, according to Northeast News.

A dedication to the “Mecklenburg heroes of World War II who made the supreme sacrifice,” at the center of the Charlotte monument, was painted over in yellow.

Volunteers cleaned the monument on Monday, city of Charlotte spokesman Cory Burkarth said. The painted message hasn’t been seen again in the city as of Tuesday, he said.

This story was originally published June 23, 2020 at 4:19 PM.