UPDATE ON MARCH 13: Someone sent 13 Action News a video and photos of the person who allegedly vandalized the mural over the weekend. That person posted our story about the vandalism on his Facebook page along with the video and photos.
The artist, Gear Duran, says he wants to get started on repairing the damage to the wall as soon as possible.
ORIGINAL STORY
The downtown arts community is in pain after they discovered a cherished mural vandalized near Charleston Boulevard and Main Street.
RELATED: Local artist creating giant Dakota Access Pipeline protest mural
The painting depicts the battle currently going on in Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North and South Dakota. For months, the indigenous people there have been fighting against a proposed pipeline that would cut across their land. The graffiti covers the mural's Native American faces.
Activists here in the valley are calling the vandalism a hate crime.
"I screamed and I cried," said Fawn Douglas, an indigenous person and Standing Rock activist. "It's awful because I don't know what these people are doing or why this person did this. What did I do to you? What did my people do to you?"
VANDALIZED: Beautiful mural downtown depicting Standing Rock #NoDAPL fight was graffitied overnight. Artist, activists talking to police pic.twitter.com/ua8SwCxuAh
— David Schuman (@david_schuman) March 12, 2017
The artists who created the mural are planning to paint over the graffiti. If you'd like to donate money to help pay for supplies, click here.