San Vicente Park vandalized

This photo of the vandalized latte house in San Vicente Park circulated on social media late December, bringing to the forefront the need for stricter vandalism laws in the CNMI. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

In late December, photos of a vandalized latte house in the still-under-construction San Vicente Central Park surfaced on social media disheartening not just members of the community, but community development officers who worked hard for years on the project.

“San Vicente Park has always been something that really brought the communities of San Vicente and the people in the south together,” press secretary Kevin Bautista said.

It was designed to be a place that is safe, accessible, educational, recreational, and that provides learning opportunities for the villages’ children, adults, and man’amkos.

“The whole vandalism incident that happened a few weeks ago, it really hurt a lot of the folks who were directly involved in the project, particularly our DPW (Department of Public Works) project managers, our architects, our grants management folks who’ve worked really hard since 2016,” Bautista added.

“The vandalism incident is unfortunate, and we want to continue to advise the public that we don’t condone vandalism in any form,” the press secretary stressed.

Incidentally, the Senate just passed House Bill 21-2, or the Anti-Vandalism Bill, authored by Rep. Joseph “Lee Pan” Guerrero (R-Saipan) which makes it unlawful to vandalize, that is, any action that would involve the destruction, damage, and/or defacing of any public or private property.

Vandalism is a perennial problem on the island. Guerrero had called for a stricter law versus vandalism following the desecration of the Katori Jingu Shrine in 2016. His bill, once signed into law, establishes a separate statute and penalty for vandalism to allow for it to be treated as a crime separate from criminal mischief.

With the park being a “critical component of that environment of community and village quality of life,” Bautista said the plans to secure it would include additional community policing, DPS personnel, as well as potential security through partnership with the private sector.

This is to ensure that San Vicente Central Park “stays safe, stays accessible, and stays comfortable for the people who call San Vicente home and people who call the south home.”

“We want to be able to encourage folks within the San Vicente area and people in the south and Dandan, particularly as well, to come together and to really look out for potential vandalism in the future,” Bautista added.