A California skateboarder caused some controversy this week after a video surfaced of him attempting to do skateboard tricks on the walls of a memorial honoring veterans.
The names and photos of more than 5,000 Americans are inscribed into the black granite walls that make up the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial in San Diego.
According to the memorial group, it is one of the most unique veterans memorials in America because it contains an image of the veteran. People from all over the country come to visit and honor the men and women who served that are listed on the plaques.
The video, recorded and uploaded to the Internet by Bill Bender, shows an unidentified man riding his skateboard across the tops of the memorial’s curved granite walls. He then jumps, using the board, attempting to land on another side wall.
While he attempts the move, a group of spectators nearby watched him and filmed him doing the stunt.
“I’m appalled at such disregard and carelessness,” Neil O’Connell, President and CEO of Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial, said in a statement posted on Facebook.
“Our granite walls require constant care by volunteers due to the atmosphere. It’s a lot of work. But come on, how disrespectful is it to ride skateboards over the tops and edges of this fine surface,” he added.
O’Connell said that no plaques were harmed in this incident.
Don Hotz, whose uncle and father have plaques on the memorial, called the incident “disrespectful.”
“I know what it’s like to be a kid and a skater, but this where frankly I draw the line,” Hotz said. “If you’re listening guys, I would appreciate it if you would not do that kind of thing. That’s disrespectful to men that spend their lives protecting what we have today.”
San Diego Police Department officials told CNN that they have been alerted to this incident and viewed the video on social media, adding that they are investigating it as a vandalism case.
The memorial was erected in 1952 and honors veterans, both living and deceased, from the Revolutionary War to the current war on terror, according to the memorial’s website.