Artworks Honoring Blacks Vandalized At Perry Harvey Park In Tampa

TAMPA, FL — The Tampa Police Department is investigating vandalism to artwork documenting Black history in Tampa and a nearby city kiosk at Perry Harvey Sr Park, 1000 E Harrison St., Tampa.

The artwork under a thick layer of glass was either peppered with BB gun bullets or smashed with a sharp instrument about 30 times, causing extensive damage.

The artwork along the Perry Harvey Sr Park history walk titled "Lifetiles" by artist Rufus Butler Ceder, is a collection of four major works that tell the story of the African-American community's contributions to Tampa and how the historic Central Avenue community, known at The Scrub, evolved over the years.

The Scrub, once Tampa’s oldest and largest African American neighborhood, traces its history to just after the Civil War when newly freed slaves built homes in a scrub palmetto thicket outside of the Town of Tampa. The heart of The Scrub was the Central Avenue Business District.

Between 1900 and 1930, the Black population of Tampa quadrupled from 4,382 to 21,531, and the number of African American businesses on and around Central Avenue rose to more than 200. By the 1930s, Central Avenue offered a thriving Black music scene on what what known as the Chitlin' Circuit.

City officials say it will cost thousands of dollars to restore the artwork, which was funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The kiosk that was vandalized is part of the IKE Smart City kiosk program, designed to help residents and visitors explore the city, one of 30 installed throughout Tampa.

"The vandalism of this artwork is an insult to our community and to all those who contributed to its creation," said Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw. "It is disappointing to think anyone would cause destruction to this artistic representation of our city's history. We are working to identify those responsible for this senseless act."

Detectives are gathering evidence and developing leads to apprehend those responsible, including working with nearby residents and business partners to review any video footage that may have captured the vandalism.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Tampa Police Department at 813-231-6130, or Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 800-873-TIPS.