Vandals Mar Balboa Park Nativity Scene

Vandals used blue paint to deface life-size figures of the Nativity scene at the Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park early Friday.

A park worker discovered the marred figures and graffiti about 7:30 Friday morning, said Steve Tiplitsky, a San Diego police officer.

Blue paint was sprayed on each figure of the 40-piece creche, including animals, angels, and wise men. The figures are housed in eight green sheds, each representing a scene from the biblical birth story.

Scrawled on the background canvases were “Keep Religion Private,” “Out of Our Park,” and “1st Amendment.” Scriptural passages displayed in front of each scene were also spray-painted.

Police have no suspects in the felony vandalism, Tiplitsky said. But, judging by the writing, he said it was probably done by a group opposed to religious symbolism.

Paul Schmidt, chairman of the Community Christmas Center Committee, the volunteer group that puts up the Nativity scene, said he thinks “anti-Christians” did it.

“I don’t think kids did it,” Schmidt said, “because how many kids can spell amendment? I think anti-Christians did it, because of the lawsuit some atheists filed.”

A federal lawsuit was filed late last year by Howard T. Kreisner and the Society of Separationists against the city of San Diego accusing it of showing religious preference by allowing citizens to erect the creche on public property.

The lawsuit was settled in a summary judgment Nov. 8. A U.S. District Court judge ruled that the city did not violate the Constitution by allowing placement of the creche in a public park, said City Atty. John Witt.

Members of the organization that filed suit against the city could not be reached for comment.

This year, the city set new conditions under which religious displays will be allowed on city land. The guidelines required that no city funds or city services be involved in setting up, maintaining or storing the displays.

The Christmas committee now accepts private donations to pay for electricity for the display in Balboa Park and stores the Nativity scene on private property.

Schmidt said nine reindeer were recently purchased by the committee to include in the display. Two years ago they expanded the exhibit to include other holiday symbols. A menorah was added to represent the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

The committee erected the Nativity scene after Thanksgiving, and it will stay up until early next year, despite the vandalism. The group was able to remove some of the paint by washing. However, some of the original paint on the background scenes and figures was marred during the washing and may not be able to be cleaned.

Schmidt estimated damage at $15,000 to $20,000. Each figure costs about $1,600, he said, not including the cost to paint the statues, which are made of papier-mache and are coated with fiberglass. He said it took the artist, the late Rudolph Vargas, about a year to make four figures.

The most intricate parts of the figures, especially the faces and eyes, are the hardest to do, Schmidt said. The late sculptor’s work is hard to duplicate, and it will be difficult to find someone to redo the statues.

Except for petty thefts, Schmidt said he had never had any problems with vandals. He said he was at the park about 11 p.m. Thursday, and everything was fine. But, when he was called to the park Friday morning, paint on the figures was tacky, indicating it had probably been there just a couple of hours.

Two parents at the park with a Poway elementary school class Friday were horrified at the graffiti-covered display.

“I think it is abhorrent for someone to deface something for people to enjoy,” Sandra Campbell said. “It’s a lack of sensitivity and manners. People of all ages seem not to care about public property.”

Campbell said the fourth-graders from Sunset Hills Elementary School were “pretty emotional” about the ruined display.

Most of the 9-year-olds walked around asking each other, “Why would anyone do that?”

Katie Williams, a chaperon and mother of three, said the vandalism was an “irresponsible act” and she hoped it would have a positive affect on the children and deter them from destroying property.

Schmidt said he will seek volunteers from churches to set up some sort of security for the creche.