WAILUA — Swastikas and batu pipes defacing Loop Road’s Keahua Bridge murals were scrubbed away last Saturday by a small group of volunteers.
The hate symbols represent the latest iteration of a long-standing graffiti problem at the site, which was decorated by Kapa‘a High School students in conjunction with the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources and a Hawaiian cultural practitioner in 2019.
“First, they blacked out the eyes, then they put crack pipes and then they’ve tagged, ‘Meth Island,’” Vanessa Herlitz, the art teacher behind the mural, said. “Recently, I’ve been seeing this racism, like the swastika. I’ve seen something about ‘The white man rules’ or something to that effect.”
The mural depicts hula dancers telling a story of the native flora and fauna found nearby. A still-incomplete representation of an ahupua‘a system can be seen on the reverse side of the wall.
Nikki Cristobal, executive director of the nonprofit Kamawaelualani Corp., helped remove the graffiti last week. Her organization, which includes the art program Mo‘oleo Murals, has offered to help Herlitz further repair the damage.
“A lot of the faces and stuff in some parts of it … the paint got completely scratched off in the process of cleaning it, unfortunately,” Cristobal said.
The Kaua‘i Police Department had no reports of vandalism from Loop Road, officially known as the Wailua Forest Management Road, in the last month.
Imagery like swastikas are included in KPD hate crime statistics if used as part of a hate crime, according to the department, which has recorded eight reported hate crimes since 2019. The statistics do not reflect unreported hate crimes or cases where a victim refused to make a complaint.
The DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement reported no new citations at Keahua Bridge.
DOCARE officers would have to catch the vandals in the act, a spokesperson said.
DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife personnel will apply a clear coat to the mural once restorations are complete.
Cristobal sees an opportunity for unity in the wake of the discovery.
“I think the strength of Kaua‘i is most people see that and most people want to help, in terms of not having it happen again, or cleaning up the mess,” she said.
Herlitz thanked community members for their assistance in preserving the mural, describing the graffiti as something a little bit like a cry for help.
“I have dreams of trying to work with these people who are tagging, and try to funnel their vandalism into something more functional or creative or positive,” Herlitz said.
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Scott Yunker, general assignment reporter, can be reached at 245-0437 or syunker@thegardenisland.com.
“I have dreams of trying to work with these people who are tagging, and try to funnel their vandalism into something more functional or creative or positive,” Herlitz said.
Good luck with that Vanessa.I hope you have a degree in psychiatry, or at least one in psychology, in addition to your art degree.
And if you wish to engage with the perps, please carry some kind of protection.
NO HATE on Kauai!
The fact that I have to tell you not to publish photos with the nazi symbol damage is beyond me. Get a clue editors seriously. Idiots.
Whoever painted the Swastika on the mural was too stupid to do it the correct way. What they painted instead is actually a Buddhist symbol. With the Nazi emblem, the angles of the swastika bend to the 90 degree mark, not the 270 degree. It’s obviously the work of someone who never finished high school and failed history class miserably.
Time to get some remote cameras up there, stat, and catch these vandals on camera and throw the book at them and then you can work with them. Disgraceful!
While this vandalism is deplorable (and does seem to be hate-motivated), I find it encouraging that KPD does not categorically consider the swastika an emblem of hate, but only “if used as part of a hate crime.”
The swastika is an ancient Hindu symbol of auspiciousness (good fortune)–and revered similarly in many other ancient cultures. It was widely used and respected even in the US. prior to its hijacking by the Nazis. Do an internet search for “swastika history” for more information.
This is one of Hinduism’s revered symbols, and we are not giving it up–any more than the Christians would give up their cross on account of the Spanish Inquisition, which murdered people everywhere it went. If the Christian cross can still be respected as intended, then please–even when the swastika is used as a symbol of hateful Naziism–let us acknowledge its traditional significance, the horror of its hijacking, and the fact that it is still a revered symbol of millions.
Given that the tag depicts a left-facing sauwastika, we can only conclude that this was intended to represent a sacred symbol from the Buddhist tradition. The alternative is that the perpetrator is even dumber than we thought.
Probably not a hate crime. This is likely anti-vaxxer for our rights conspiracy people thinking that our current situation is like what the Nazi’s did. They believe everything on the internet to be true.
Eric Greenfield, Please explain your comment.
Product of little mind on small island. Doubt tagging was done by Neonazis, but bored youth who aren’t aware of the real historical meaning of symbols portrayed. Failure of education & home life. They regularly vandalize public facilities, while feeling entitled & superior. No pride!!!! We live in a beautiful, unique place where hate should not exist. Mahalo Aloha