Vandals deface LOBO trail underpass in Niwot

Vandals struck Niwot late Sunday evening, defacing the LOBO Trail underpass at Niwot Road with graffiti. Niwot resident Tim Hughes reported the incident to the Courier on Monday, and the matter was reported to Boulder County Parks and Open Space that evening.

Hughes sent photos and wrote, "I noticed it Monday morning, so it likely occurred Sunday night. We can see it from our house. It is spray paint on the concrete as shown, on both sides of Niwot Road and on the path itself on the [south] side."

A Boulder County work crew was on the scene Tuesday morning to remove the graffiti, which marked the underpass itself, as well as a large portion of the cement sidewalk on the Boulder side of the underpass.

The graffiti included a stencil painted to read "Free Palestine" and spray paint on the sidewalk, which included the statement, "Zionism = Antisemitism," which one observer said "doesn't even make sense."

A mural coordinated and maintained by the Niwot Community Association with assistance from Niwot Elementary School was not damaged.