Police are investigating vandalism at a park playground as a hate crime, after unknown suspects spray-painted a racial epithet and swastikas on play structures.
On Thursday, June 11, 2026, at about 9:28 a.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call reporting a hate crime vandalism at Rinconada Park at 777 Embarcadero Road. The reporting party, an employee of the City of Palo Alto’s Parks, Open Space, and Golf Division, told police that they had discovered the graffiti earlier that morning on the play structures at the playground.
The vandalism, done with spray paint, included a racial epithet directed at Black people and two swastikas, as well as sexualized language and images. Parks staff removed it right away. Police believe the crime occurred overnight between 9 p.m. on Wednesday night and 7 a.m. on Thursday morning. There is no current suspect information.
The unknown suspects returned overnight the next night (Thursday night into Friday morning) as well, spray-painting additional graffiti on the same structures. There was no hate crime component to the second night of vandalism. Parks staff have also removed this graffiti. Officers have increased patrols in the area during the nighttime hours.
There have been no other similar hate crime incidents reported in Palo Alto recently.
Officers will thoroughly investigate any reported hate crimes in Palo Alto. You are welcome to read a blog post from the City entitled “Steps the Community Can Take to Help Stop Hate Crimes.” The City of Palo Alto strongly denounces hate crimes of all kinds and encourages members of our community to promptly report these incidents to police.
Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to call our 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be sent via text message by texting the keyword PAPD and the tip to 847411, or submitted using the “Palo Alto PD Tips” app, which is available via the App Store or Google Play.
