HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In the heart of Highland Park, amidst the humdrum of daily life and the perpetual flow of traffic, stands a towering monument, a landmark emblematic of the city’s resilience and character – the city’s water tower. The tower sits at the shuttered Highland Park Water Treatment Plant on Dequindre Street about ten minutes north of Detroit.

Yet, it wasn’t the majestic structure itself that recently captured the attention of the masses but rather the colorful artwork adorning its surface, or rather, the controversy it sparked.

Anti-Israel group paints graffiti on water tower.

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On a fateful morning in early April, the city awoke to find the water tower painted with bold proclamations. “Free Free Palestine” the message proudly declared, a statement echoing a global sentiment of solidarity with those fighting against Israel even after the terrorist attack on their country by Hamas in October of 2023.

In addition to the message, there was a Palestinian flag painted on the tower and another flag flying, as reported by independent journalist Brendan Gutenschwager on April 23rd. He appears to be the sole media figure to cover the incident, and no statements of outrage from the media or city officials on the situation at the time have been found.

“America First” group paints their message over first message.

Soon after, another layer of paint covered the original pro-Palestine mural, this one bearing the words “America First” and the insignia of a group called the Patriot Front, an organization that has been labeled to be a “white supremacist group” by the Anti-Defamation League. The group also hung a banner with their organization’s name on it on the tower.

Cue the uproar which came fast and furious. While there appears to be nothing written in the media about the pro-Palestinian group’s vandalism, there was quite an uproar over “America First” showing up on the tower even though both occurrences constitute acts of vandalism, and both can be potentially construed as expressions of hostility toward a specific group, albeit indirectly.

Second message considered racist.

However, in media reports, their only concern has been with the “racist” rhetoric painted on the tower by Patriot Front. In a world where outrage is the currency of the internet, it didn’t take long for accusations to fly. Fox 2 Detroit and many others wasted no time in branding the second painting spree as “racist graffiti” in the headline of their article. Others quickly echoed the story including Yahoo News.

The Patriot Front graffiti also raised the ire of Highland Park’s Mayor Glenda McDonald, who is currently under a recall effort, oddly enough about water issues.

Mayor McDonald takes offense.

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McDonald lamented about the graffiti done by Patriot Front, or someone claiming to be them, saying, “Being persecuted already as a Black person is hard enough, but to do it on property that belongs to a Black community in a racist way – it baffles me.”

McDonald went on to say, “Because the water tower is located in the City of Detroit and it reaches above the freeway for all to see it’s also been shut down, our water plant has been shut down for years. People think they can do whatever they want.”

Mayor says they will prosecute “anyone” caught destroying city property.

The mayor added, “We have laws that prohibit you from destroying city property. Even if it weren’t a law to me personally, this cannot happen. We will not allow it to happen and we will prosecute anyone who is caught doing this.” She also said in an interview, “Hate speech of any kind should not be tolerated by anyone.”

Because the mayor didn’t address the vandalism done by the pro-Palestinian group directly, Michigan News Source contacted her office to seek clarification about whether both groups would be receiving the same degree of scrutiny and investigation.

The mayor responded by saying, “I am against anyone who persecutes another human being for their race, creed, color or sexual orientation. As well as the genocide of anyone is despicable and should not be tolerated. Vandalism in any capacity hurts our community and anyone involved deserves to be prosecuted for their actions.”

We also contacted the attorney general’s office to see if they were going to proceed with any investigation into any hate crimes. According to Press Secretary Danny Wimmer, neither of the incidents have been referred to their office for investigation or review.

It’s a big deal…or not.

Not everyone is offended by the “America First” language on the water tower however. Highland Park resident Brendon Morgan spoke with WXYZ Channel 7 and pretty much shrugged the situation off saying, “It’s probably meant to spark some type of controversy. It is what it is. It’s always been people like that.”

And so, as the sun set on another day in Highland Park, the water tower stands tall, its surface currently a blank canvas for the myriad of voices who might be clamoring to be heard. The tower’s only defense is a city’s plan of proposed surveillance cameras, increased patrols in the area in addition to other undisclosed security measures.