A woman in Bellingham, Washington, was arrested on suspicion of vandalism and assault after she mistook a rope on a fisherman memorial statue for a noose and confronted city workers. The incident occurred Monday afternoon at Zuanich Point Park.
The statue, titled “Safe Return,” honors local fishermen who have died or disappeared at sea. It depicts a fisherman holding a mooring line.
Cara Munoz, 34, recorded herself on social media, including X, then known as Twitter, approaching the statue and claiming the mooring line was a noose, which she described as a symbol of white supremacy. She can be heard in video clips arguing with city workers who were cleaning graffiti from the memorial.
Munoz reportedly challenged the workers, accusing them of hiding a noose and questioning their actions. The workers, according to reports, did not engage with her.
Police were called to the scene. Munoz was found inside her vehicle and refused to leave. She was subsequently arrested.
Jail records indicate Munoz faces charges of second-degree malicious mischief, third-degree assault, and resisting lawful arrest. Malicious mischief is a legal term encompassing vandalism. Authorities are still investigating whether Munoz was responsible for the initial defacement of the statue.
Munoz was later released on her own recognizance. The deleted video clips from her social media showed her continuing to assert her belief that the statue depicted a noose.