GRIFFITH PARK—The iconic “Hollywood” sign was altered by an unknown prankster to read as “Hollyweed” on Sunday, January 1.
The sign was altered sometime between midnight and 2 a.m. The Los Angeles Police Department’s Hollywood Division sent out officers to the sign to investigate. Lt. Guy Juneau of LAPD’s Security Services Division said the suspect was most likely male and said security footage shows him changing the sign, but authorities are unable to pinpoint the suspect’s height or race because it was dark and raining.
The vandal used giant black and white tarps to turn the white ‘O’s’ into ‘E’s’. LAPD Officer Chistopher Garcia informed the press that there are sensors at the sign that trigger an alarm for police to respond to the area if it detects people, but he believed the person came from behind the sign and avoided the triggers. If the suspect is caught, he could face a misdemeanor trespassing charge.
The sign remained up until about 11 a.m. when park rangers were sent out to remove the tarps.
The sign has been modified mulitple times in the past, often times to make a political statement. Prankster and Cal State Northridge student Danny Finegood altered the sign similarly to read as “Hollyweed” with curtains in 1976.
Californians voted to approve Proposition 64 on Election Day to make recreational use of marijuana legal for citizens ages 21 and over statewide. The sale and taxation of recreational marijuana goes into effect in 2018.
