“As of now, it’s being investigated as criminal mischief, unless we receive more information.”. A St. Petersburg mural located inside the Ray’s Tunnel between Ferg’s Sports Bar and Tropicana Field was vandalized with swastikas, and the other Nazi symbols last weekend. According to the police report from the St. Petersburg Police Department, investigators believe the incident happened sometime between March 20 and when the graffiti was first discovered on March 21.  Besides a giant swastika and the phrase “Heil Hitler,” photos requested by Creative Loafing Tampa Bay from SPPD show a variety of Nazi symbols spray-painted on the walls, including “NSDAP,” which is the acronym for the German Nazi Party, the Nazi Secret Service symbol “SS,” and the Sturmabteilung emblem, a symbol commonly used by white supremacists and neo-Nazis that originated from Adolf Hitler’s “brownshirts” paramilitary group.  Also tagged on the walls was “Liberal Ass Town Disgusting,” and a crude depiction of a crossed out Hammer and Sickle symbol, which is used by the Communist Party of China, among other groups. The graffiti has since been removed, and investigators say there are no suspects.   Yolanda Fernandez, a spokesperson for SPPD, told CL that while the graffiti is certainly hateful it’s currently being investigated as criminal mischief, and doesn’t yet qualify as a hate crime. “We can’t call it a hate crime because there isn’t a direct victim, even though it’s something we’ll keep on our radar,” said Fernandez. “As of now, it’s being investigated as criminal mischief, unless we receive more information.”

via citampa: Swastika, and other Nazi symbols spray-painted over SHINE mural at Rays Tunnel in St. Pete