For almost two months, someone has been tearing through Kiwanis Park in Midwest City almost every night, leaving behind broken bathroom fixtures, smashed light bulbs, graffiti-covered picnic tables and overturned trash cans. The damage now totals about $2,000, and city officials are asking the public for help identifying who is responsible.
Debbie Chase walks through the 11.9-acre park along South Midwest Boulevard every day, sometimes twice, and she has watched the destruction pile up firsthand. She told News 9 that the vandalism makes her sad because she loves the park, describing bathroom damage, broken bulbs, graffiti scrawled across tables and trash cans knocked over during her walks. The vandalism has also hit electrical outlets and lighting fixtures throughout the grounds, according to the same report.
A Pattern That Won't Let Up
City officials say the vandalism has occurred almost nightly for about two months, concentrated at the park's skate park and pavilion, where graffiti has repeatedly appeared. Midwest City Police have received several tips and are following up on leads, per the outlet's reporting, and Recreation Director Josh Ryan noted that the graffiti appears to have a distinctive style that could help identify whoever is behind it.
Cleaning up after the damage isn't quick work. A crew of two or three people is needed each day just to keep the park's pavilions, restrooms and skate park usable, the report notes. That cleanup burden lands on a Parks and Recreation Department that was already stretched thin this year — in May, Ryan told Hoodline that staffing shortages had forced emergency hiring drives just to keep the city's recreation facilities open.
Why the Dollar Figure Matters Legally
Under Oklahoma law, the dollar amount at stake carries real legal weight. Oklahoma Statutes Title 21 § 1760 classifies malicious injury or destruction of property causing an aggregate loss of $1,000 or more as a felony, while anything below that threshold remains a misdemeanor, according to the Henson Law Firm, PLLC. At roughly $2,000 in damage, the Kiwanis Park case sits well past that line. The same statute also allows public entities like Midwest City to pursue civil recovery of treble, or triple, damages from anyone convicted of maliciously defacing or destroying public property, according to the Oklahoma Statutes.
How to Submit a Tip
Midwest City is asking anyone who recognizes the graffiti style, or who knows who is responsible, to submit an anonymous tip. Residents can do so through the city's online police tip form, and the Midwest City Police Department also encourages people to report suspicious park activity through its non-emergency line or community crime mapping tools.
A Park Built Into the City's Identity
Kiwanis Park is more than a patch of grass — it includes a 9-hole disc golf course, walking trails, two pavilions, a volleyball court, picnic tables and playground facilities, according to TravelOK.com. The park's South Pavilion also hosts an annual back-to-school outreach run by Remnant Church that distributes 500 free backpacks to local students, making the pavilion damage a direct hit on a community support program.
The vandalism arrives as Midwest City works on a Recreation, Parks, and Trails Master Plan meant to guide future investment across its municipal park system, according to the City of Midwest City. Midwest City was founded in 1942 as a planned community supporting Tinker Air Force Base and was later designated “America's Model City,” a legacy built partly on neighborhood green spaces like Kiwanis Park. Park safety has drawn community concern before; in September 2024, residents called for increased safety measures after a 14-year-old boy was fatally shot at a Midwest City park, according to KOCO 5 News.
For now, it remains unclear whether the city will add surveillance cameras or adjust park hours to curb the overnight destruction. What is clear is that police are counting on tips from residents like Chase, who pass through the park daily and are watching the damage accumulate one night at a time.
