Overnight on Thursday vandals hit the Christopher Columbus statue in Tower Grove Park, splashing red paint on it and writing phrases in spray paint along the base it. Early Thursday morning, crews power washed the statue as clean as they could, but there are still faint remains of the vandalism left behind.

The crime was timely since Thursday morning was the annual day St. Louis Italian-Americans meet at the statue of the 15th-century Italian explorer to honor their heritage. This year they came out to a disturbing sight for them. Phrases like 'Murder' and 'Black Lives Matter' were written across the statue.