Yosemite graffiti vandals could face federal criminal charges – if they’re caught
The person or people who tagged rocks with graffiti at about 30 different locations along a popular Yosemite National Park trail last month could face federal vandalism charges if or when they are caught.
Photos posted Sunday on social media by the park service clearly showed the scrawl “Fresno” in several of the tags, as well as a possible moniker of at least one of the taggers in the May 20 attack.
Yosemite National Park spokesperson Scott Gediman told The Fresno Bee on Monday that National Park Service investigators have been working with other law enforcement agencies, including the Fresno Police Department, to cross-reference the content of the graffiti tags spray-painted on rocks along the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail. That collaboration, he added, has generated leads on some possible suspects.
This weekend’s social media outreach on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram is an effort to find more evidence from the public to advance the investigation, Gediman said.
“This is a very popular trail, and most of the people on the trail have cameras or phones,” Gediman said. “We feel that anyone who either saw this person or people, or has photos or video, is just going to help us.”
Although there are leads in the case, no arrests have been made so far. “We have made significant progress,” Gediman said, “but photos or video would help.”
Park visitors reported the tagging after 8 p.m. on May 20 and reported it to rangers, who set up a trail block to try to identify potential suspects. The following day, rangers discovered that the taggers had struck about 30 different points along the trail. Most of the tags were about 3 feet square, but some covered areas as large as 8 feet by 8 feet, rangers reported.
Cleaning up the vandalism
While the graffiti attack was three weeks ago, park officials are moving cautiously in their cleanup efforts. “It’s interesting because clearly we have to clean it up, but our concern is about damaging the rocks even further,” Gediman said. “We’re in the process of removing it, but we’re taking extra care to not cause any more damage” to tree roots or lichens living on the rocks that were tagged.
Gediman added that the park has experienced graffiti before, including tagging on rocks, trees, buildings and signs. “There’s not one particular product or one particular way to remove it,” he said. “Every site is different.”
The potential penalties that the tagger or taggers could face if they’re caught and convicted have yet to be sorted out. “It depends because there are different federal laws that apply,” Gediman said. “There are laws about graffiti and spray paint. But if there’s damage to plants or damage to wildlife, or any sort of other damage, there are a variety of charges” that could apply.
The difference between federal and state charges include where someone could spend time behind bars – in a federal lockup rather than a county jail or state prison.
Yosemite National Park is one of the most visited sites in the National Park Service system, attracting more than 3.3 million visitors in 2021. After the park posted about the incident on Sunday on its social media channels, public reaction to the attack was sadness and outrage.
“This absolutely breaks my heart,” replied one user on Twitter. “One of the most beautiful places on this planet and the deeds of a few are going to end up ruining it for all.”
“I hope they are caught and are made to scrub the public restrooms in Yosemite for 10 years (without gloves and with their own toothbrushes),” a Facebook commenter responded.
Rangers with the National Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch are asking anyone hiking the trail to the top of Yosemite Falls between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. on May 20 and saw anyone carrying spray paint, tagging rocks or may have photos or video to leave a tip online at go.nps.gov/SubmitATip, email nps_isb@nps.gov, or call or send a text message to 888-653-0009.
