December 28, 2024
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Pride-painted hydrant in Geneva vandalized 3rd, 4th time

Artist continues to repaint Art on Fire hydrant with rainbow, transgender colors

By Brenda Schory
Someone covered the pride and transgender-painted fire hydrant with red paint on July 23. It was the third act of vandalism directed at the hydrant. Artist Chrissy Swanson painted it to represent inclusivity as part of the city’s Art on Fire program. Swanson repainted it Saturday night.

Someone covered the pride and transgender-painted fire hydrant with red paint on July 23. It was the third act of vandalism directed at the hydrant. Artist Chrissy Swanson painted it to represent inclusivity as part of the city’s Art on Fire program. Swanson repainted it Saturday night. (Photo provided by Chrissy Swanson)

GENEVA – A fire hydrant painted with Pride flag colors as part of Geneva’s Art on Fire Program was vandalized for a third and fourth time this weekend, artist Chrissy Swanson reported.

Swanson painted Pride flag colors horizontally on a fire hydrant at the northwest corner of Kirk Road and East State Street as part of the city’s Art on Fire program in which the public paints hydrants as a canvass. Transgender flag colors are on the valves with a peace sign in black in the middle.

It was first painted over in white, then blue on July 8 and again on July 15, and then on July 23 it was painted over in red.

“I repainted it until 10:30 Saturday night,” Swanson said. “And by 8:15 Sunday morning, the paint was scraped off.”

Someone scraped the paint off a fire hydrant painted with pride and transgender colors as part of the Art on Fire program in Geneva. Artist Chrissy Swanson reported it to police on Sunday, July 24, and repainted it. This was the fourth time the hydrant at State Street and Kirk Road was defaced this month.

Someone scraped the paint off a fire hydrant painted with pride and transgender colors as part of the Art on Fire program in Geneva. Artist Chrissy Swanson reported it to police on Sunday, July 24, and repainted it. This was the fourth time the hydrant at State Street and Kirk Road was defaced this month. (Photo provided by Chrissy Swanson)

While she was repainting it on Sunday, Swanson said she experienced polar opposite reactions: Someone brought her a lemonade from Wendy’s and a man on a motorcycle stopped at the light and yelled a vulgar expression at her.

“I could not even believe it,” Swanson said. “I would try to respond and he would just rev up the motorcycle.”

Deputy Chief Brian Maduzia said because the fire hydrant belongs to the city, the act of spray-painting it is criminal defacement of property.

If a suspect is finally identified, the charge would be a Class A misdemeanor, he said. That charge is punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,500, if convicted.

Chrissy Swanson’s pride and transgender-painted fire hydrant at State Street at Kirk Road in Geneva has been vandalized four times. Swanson repainted it after it was spray painted red on July 23, then it had paint scraped off by July 24. Swanson vowed to continue to repaint it.

Chrissy Swanson’s pride and transgender-painted fire hydrant at State Street at Kirk Road in Geneva has been vandalized four times. Swanson repainted it after it was spray painted red on July 23, then it had paint scraped off by July 24. Swanson vowed to continue to repaint it. (Photo provided by Chrissy Swanson)

“The Geneva Police Department is actively investigating the unauthorized actions of painting over an artist’s work on a city fire hydrant,” Maduzia stated in an email. “The city of Geneva administration has confirmed they did not paint over it or authorize anyone else to paint over it. Multiple people have already been interviewed, but no persons of interest have been identified at this time.”

Maduzia wrote that Geneva police are working with law enforcement partners in regards to the use of additional resources.

“We are looking to utilize resources to identify an offender(s) or prevent the continued unauthorized actions from occurring again,” Maduzia wrote.

Swanson urged anyone with information to call Geneva police at 630-232-4736.

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