A gang of three German tourists are in trouble with California authorities after it emerged that they went on a paintball spree in Joshua Tree National Park, defacing everything from bathrooms and road signs to dumpsters and other public infrastructure.
A press release published by the National Park Service describes how. The German tourists were cited for defacing public property in the park on August 4. Rangers issued each paintballer with a federal violation notice that could see every perpetrator fined as much as $5,000. The tourists also face the possibility of spending six months in U.S. prison not just for defacing public property at the park but for using slingshots and paintball guns, which are legally considered weapons and cannot be used in any parks operated by the National Park Service.
Joshua Tree National Park Acting Chief Ranger Jeff Filosa said that defacing the landscape in a national park, “no matter how small,” is a breach of the law.
“It also diminishes the natural environment that millions of people travel the world to enjoy,” Filosa said. “The park is regularly tasked with removing graffiti of all types, using time and resources that could be better dedicated to other priorities.”
Rangers discovered the vandalism on August 4 while patrolling the Jumbo Rocks Campground – a space where people come from all over the world to park their RVs or erect tents. Rangers said that they saw fresh yellow paint splatter on nearby signs, and upon further inspection, could see a paintball slingshot in plain view inside of a vehicle. When questioned, the German visitors admitted that they had been firing paintballs using the slingshot and paintball guns the night before.
Maintenance staff at the park have since begun the cleanup operation.
What do you think – should the German tourists be locked up and made an example of? Or perhaps they should be made to pay for the clean-up?
