Police are trying to determine who vandalized a portrait of Benjamin Tillman at Winthrop University’s Tillman Hall by using red paint to write “violent racist” across the piece Thursday morning.
The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m., according to Daniel Mahony, the new university president, in an email.
Police said the vandal was seen running away from the building.
A Winthrop Campus Police reported the estimated damage to the painting, which was removed along with an information placard about Benjamin Tillman, at $3,000. It also hasn’t been determined whether the painting will be returned to the building and restored.
Mahony said that although Tillman was a racist, the vandalism is not justified. Police on campus are investigating the incident, Mahony said.
