Splatters of red paint and the phrase "they were racists" were found Monday on a Confederate monument in Nashville.
The vandalism was found on the Confederate Prive Monument in Centennial Park. The phrase was written in red paint over a plaque with names of more than 500 Confederate soldiers from Tennessee.
News Channel 5 Nashville said officials aren't sure how long it will take to clean the monument, which was dedicated in 1909.
The Tennessean reports the Confederate monument is one of two in the county, with about 70 more across the state. The Metro Nashville Police Department said there hasn't been a vandalism incident like this in the park in nearly seven years.
Police said they're going to review surveillance video from the park, News Channel 5 said.
Two years ago, a privately-owned statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, along Interstate 65 was covered in pink paint. The Tennessean said the paint is still there because the owner wants to "draw attention" to the statue.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
What other people are reading right now:
- New Jersey man found dead in the Dominican Republic; 9th American tourist to die in country
- President Trump threatens to deport millions beginning next week
- Family says man shot and killed by off-duty officer was 'non-aggressive, non-verbal'
- Toddler drowns when grandfather leaves to use the bathroom: deputies
- Jimmy Buffett fan club members reportedly get sick at Dominican Republic resort
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10News app now.
Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.