"Whomever decided to 'tag' the mural on the side of @brimonfifth we are going to find you. $500 to whoever gives us the name of who did this poor excuse for a "tag". DM us. #daytoninspires," posts on the Dayton Inspires Facebook and Instagram pages say.
Matthew Sliver, a founder of the Dayton Inspires pride campaign, said the vandalism happened sometime between 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 30 and this morning, Wednesday, May 1.
The Downtown Dayton Partnership ambassadors have already covered the graffiti with paint.
Created in 2014, the Oregon District mural is the first of three Dayton Inspires walls in downtown Dayton.
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The social initiative started as a project of upDayton, an organization that aims to attract and retain young talent to the region.
Sliver said this marked the first time he has known of the sign being hit by vandals, but he said Brim owner Amelia O'Dowd has informed him that it has been tagged a few other times as well.
In each of those cases, O’Dowd told this news organization she or her husband quickly covered the vandalism before anyone was the wiser.
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The ambassador program was launched in 2006.
Among other things, ambassadors pick up trash, eliminate weeds, remove graffiti, wash sidewalks, give directions, provide escorts and report problems to police.
The mural has come to be a symbol of Dayton pride and unity.
He said it draws a diverse group of people from the Dayton area and beyond to the Oregon District.
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“It brings in all types of people,” he said. “The first thing (University of Dayton) freshmen do is come down and take a picture of it.”
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