Mural of ex-mayor, police commissioner defaced

PHILADELPHIA » A day after the arrest of a man accused of defacing a statue of a former Philadelphia mayor and police commissioner, a mural of the same figure has been defaced with paint.

Police said officers saw a group spray paint “Kill killer cops” on the large south Philadelphia mural of Frank Rizzo shortly before 3 a.m. Saturday. Officers pursued the group on foot and arrested one male, also recovering spray paint and masks discarded by the group.

The mural also had a large splotch of white paint on the face and the words “RIP David,” — an apparent reference to David Jones, 30, who was shot in the back after being stopped for driving a dirt bike recklessly on a city street and allegedly pulling a gun on a police officer.

On Friday, a man was arrested on charges of spray painting the words “Black power” on the statue of Rizzo outside a government building in Center City. A man from Maplewood, New Jersey, was charged Wednesday with disorderly conduct for throwing eggs at the statue.

Rizzo, who served as mayor from 1972 to 1980 and died in 1991, has been praised by supporters as a devoted public servant unafraid to speak his mind, but criticized by detractors who said he alienated minorities both as police commissioner and mayor.

On Monday, Democratic Councilwoman Helen Gym called for removal of the bronze statue of a waving Rizzo, which was donated to the city and unveiled in 1999.