HUMBOLDT PARK — Vandals defaced Ald. Joe Moreno's 1st Ward office this week by smashing the glass front door and scrawling "gentrifier" next to the door in spray paint, according to the alderman's office.
The crime likely happened early Monday morning at Moreno's office at 2740 W. North Ave., according to Moreno's chief of staff, Raymond Valadez.
A rock was thrown through the office's glass door, leaving shards of glass everywhere, according to Valadez and photos that show the aftermath of the crime.
Nothing was stolen, but a graffiti tag that reads "gentrifier" was found on the brick wall right next to the office door, Valadez said.
Valadez said the alderman filed a police report. Police said they are investigating the incident.
As of Tuesday afternoon, no arrests had been made in connection to the crime, according to Valadez and police.
Valadez added that the landlord is working with the security vendor to see if video surveillance footage captured the vandals. Police couldn't say whether detectives received the video footage.
Moreno's 1st Ward includes parts of Wicker Park, West Town, Ukrainian Village, Humboldt Park and Logan Square. The latter two neighborhoods have rapidly gentrified over the past decade.
In a prepared statement, Moreno said the crime was "truly a cowardly act."
"It will not deter my efforts to bring economic progress, which provides opportunities for all types of people, into the 1st Ward. It is a progress that has created more than 100 units of new affordable housing, with much more coming soon, in our ward," the statement reads.
"The 1st Ward is a diverse, inclusive and welcoming ward. It is not exclusionary in any way, and will never be so, as long as I am the alderman, representing ALL of the great people who reside within its boundaries."
