HUDSON HEIGHTS — Uptown residents got an unwelcome surprise while walking through Fort Tryon Park this week, as one of the pathways leading through the park’s Alpine Garden had been covered with graffiti.
About 25 feet of the path and its surrounding rocks, trees and stone wall were tagged with white spray-painted messages including the words “Gang 52,” “$Fetti$” and “Free Rich.”
Washington Heights resident Myra Alperson stumbled upon the graffiti while walking through the park Monday morning.
“I found it shocking that someone — or someones — evidently thought it was OK to desecrate this beautiful space,” Alperson said.
She noted that graffiti is not common in Fort Tryon Park, which houses The Cloisters, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s medieval collection and New Leaf Restaurant.
“This is the first time in all my years of going through the park that I’ve seen this sort of thing,” Alperson said.
Sam Biederman, a spokesman for the Parks Department, said that they are aware of the problem and are working to remove the graffiti.
“Graffiti has not traditionally been a major concern in Ft. Tyron, but throughout the city graffiti incidents tend to slightly increase during warm weather,” he explained.
According to data from 311, there were 288 complaints filed about graffiti in Community District 12 between April 2014 and April 2015. Only three of those complaints appeared to include Fort Tryon Park.
The 34th Precinct did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
