PARAGOULD, Ark. – A recent wave of vandalism has left two local parks in Paragould in disarray, with offensive graffiti and damaged benches that could lead to significant repair costs.
The incidents occurred at Harmon Park and Futrell Park. At Harmon Park, vandals wrote a vulgar message on a bathroom wall and damaged several benches. Meanwhile, at Futrell Park, a bathroom near the community center was also targeted by vandals.
James Kashak, the Parks and Recreation Director for Paragould, explained the extent of the damage. He mentioned that the bathroom walls at Harmon Park had just been repainted when the vandalism took place, which means the repairs will be costly.
“You have to repaint the whole wall to make it look right, you know? So, otherwise it doesn’t match,” Kashak said.
Despite having security cameras installed in the parks, capturing the vandals remains a challenge. Kashak noted that some areas of the parks are darker than others, making it difficult to monitor every corner effectively.
“Some parts of the parks are darker than others, so you can’t always, you know, see in every angle of the park,” Kashak said.
Alexia Williams, a long-time resident of Paragould, visits the parks regularly and expressed concern over the graffiti. She finds it troubling that individuals would choose to vandalize public spaces.
“I mean, I think it’s crazy that people want to go vandalize stuff,” Williams said. “And, you know, people work hard for this to give the community something and somewhere for people to go to and enjoy.”
Williams is worried about the impact of the graffiti on children who may not have encountered such behavior before. She believes it could influence them to engage in similar actions.
“Some kids have never seen that before and it may influence them to want to continue to do something like that,” Williams said.
She also emphasized that the damage sends the wrong message to the community.
“There’s art and you do that legally without having to break stuff and ruin people’s hard work and money and all that,” Williams said.
Local police are urging residents to report any suspicious activity they observe in the parks. They encourage anyone with information to come forward promptly.
The incidents highlight the need for increased vigilance and community involvement in protecting public spaces. As the city works to address the damage, residents like Williams hope to see a stronger effort to prevent future acts of vandalism.
