Rizal monument in Seattle vandalized

The Dr. Jose Rizal Park on Beacon Hill in Seattle, Washington was vandalized over the weekend.

The park is one of five in the United States named after the Filipino hero.

Tess Guerzon-Cabrera of the Rizal Park and Bridge Preservation Society said she was “heartbroken” after someone ripped out the bronze plaques glued and bolted to the rock below the bust of Rizal.

“I felt really disheartened that this happened because this park has been here since the 1970s,” Guerzon-Cabrera told King 5 Seattle TV news.

“It was dedicated to the Filipino community and named [after] Dr. Jose Rizal,” she said.

Guerzon-Cabrera’s mother, Zanaida, immigrated from the Philippines to Seattle in the 1960s and was instrumental in securing funding for the memorial and naming the park.

“My mom and I went to the Philippines and met with the artist and contracted him and did all the paperwork to get this bust to Seattle,” Guerzon-Cabrera recalled.

Guerzon-Cabrera said she has filed a police report in the hope of finding those responsible.

“This is making a statement because this park actually needs help,” she added.

The North West Asian Weekly reported that concerns about the park have been growing due to an increase in crime and gang activity, particularly at night, as well as ongoing issues with homelessness due to the park’s proximity to a nearby area known as “the jungle.”

The park also features a mosaic mural titled “East and West” by the late Val Laigo, a Filipino-American Seattle University art professor.