The World War I Memorial in the Lawrencevilel section of Pittsburgh, PA was covered in red paint with a spray-painted message on the base of the memorial, reading “June 19, 1986, Glory to the day of heroism” on the Sunday evening before Memorial day. The message was accompanied by a number of hammer and sickle symbols. The phrase has been used by some groups in reference to 1986 Peruvian prison uprisings by imprisoned Maoist revolutionaries. 

Fundraiser started for WWI memorial vandalized in Lawrenceville

via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper (PA) web site

This story was updated at 11:24 a.m. on May 26, 2020.

A fundraiser has begun for the nearly century-old Doughboy statue and war memorial in Lawrenceville that was vandalized with splotches of red paint on Memorial Day.

City workers spent part of their holiday on Monday scrubbing and cleaning the statue, and now a GoFundMe page has been established to fund ongoing maintenance and future restoration needs of the statue at Penn and Butler streets, which has long been maintained by community volunteers.

“This fundraiser is set up to make a positive out of a negative act,” said organizers with the Lawrenceville United group, which set up the fundraiser. The initial goal is $10,000.

The statue was covered in red paint with a spray-painted message on the base of the memorial, reading “June 19, 1986, Glory to the day of heroism.” The message was accompanied by a number of hammer and sickle symbols. The phrase has been used by some groups in reference to 1986 Peruvian prison uprisings by imprisoned Maoist revolutionaries; more than 250 people died.

Pittsburgh officials, including Mayor Bill Peduto, and residents of the neighborhood expressed shock and outrage after the vandalism was discovered Monday morning.

“This is not Pittsburgh. Whoever did this. Please leave. Today,” the mayor tweeted.

Read the entire article on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette web site.

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