SNOW VISITORS DEFACE LA POSTA SACRED SITE

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: ECM news partner 10 News

February 26, 2019 (La Posta) — A couple who claimed responsibility on social media for spray-painting graffiti on rocks at a sacred site on the La Posta Indian reservation in East County claims they didn’t know they were on tribal lands, but have offered to clean up the damage.

Victor Estrada, Vice Chairman of the La Posta Band of Mission Indians, says the tribe learned about the vandals apparent identity through social media and could prosecute, but is open to the perpetrators cleaning up the mess themselves, 10 News reports.

Several rocks were defaced over the weekend when the site was covered in snow.  Estrada has these words for visitors:  “You can come out here and play in our snow, but don’t destroy our stuff,” said Estrada, “don’t spray paint your name and your family and say 'hey you were here.' “

10 News reports that it received  a statement from the purported vandals reading, “We are truly sorry as we were not aware that we were on sacred or tribal lands. My husband will be going up this weekend to clean up the writing on the rocks.”