Chicago's iconic Buckingham Fountain was abruptly closed on Saturday after the fountain was vandalized overnight, according to the Chicago Park District.
On a crisp summer weekend, the usually clear water of the iconic fountain, located at the center of Grant Park, was a shade of red. According to police, damage was discovered "in and around" the fountain when officers responded to calls of vandalism.
Visitors were disappointed after the park district closed the century-old fountain "until further notice."
"It just ruins it for everybody, people came here just to see that," one person said.
Professional drone pilot Colin Hinkle captured footage showing the stark red and green after noticing the colors from his high-rise. Hinkle took his drone and went to the fountain to investigate.
"Then I started to see the graffiti on the ground around and realized it was something done in protest," Hinkle said.
Local
Multiple messages were written surrounding the fountain, including "Gaza is bleeding" and "stop the genocide."
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By the afternoon, the fountain's water had been drained into Lake Michigan, with the dye coming out of large pipes and turning part of the lakeshore red.
The vandalism occurred on the same day of pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the Loop. Chicago police made 11 arrests while protesters demanded an end to the war between Israel and Hamas.
As of Saturday, it remained unclear who was behind the vandalism or what kind of dye was used.
The city was still in the process of assessing the damage, and it remained unknown when the fountain will reopen.
