State House entrance vandalized with white paint and graffiti

Overnight vandalism at the State House prompted a large police presence Wednesday, including from federal officials, as a stretch of sidewalk in front of the building remained closed to the public for hours.

White paint was splattered on the largely decorative front gate and the steps leading up to it, and black spray paint was also visible on the stone structures that form the entryway. Graffiti scrawled on the Bulfinch Entrance pillar appeared to say "divest."

By mid-afternoon, maintenance workers were removing the paint and officials had reopened the sidewalk.

"We are deeply disturbed to learn about vandalism at the State House overnight," Gov. Maura Healey, House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka said in a joint statement. "The State House is a revered building steeped in history, and staff works hard to keep it in pristine condition for employees and visitors alike. There is absolutely no excuse for vandalism, at the State House or anywhere. We are grateful to the Massachusetts State Police and their local, state and federal partners for their quick response and efforts to identify those responsible."

Healey, who told reporters she saw the vandalism while driving up to the State House in the morning, called it "disgusting." She expressed hope the perpetrator is arrested "very soon."

State Police said troopers went to the State House at around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday based on a report of vandalism on Beacon Street directly in front of the state capitol.

"Preliminary information indicates that a suspect poured white paint on the gate and spray painted before fleeing into the Boston Common," the agency said. "Crime Scene Services processed the scene and Troop H Detectives will continue to investigate the incident."

After the initial response, State Police said they "received a report of a suspicious package in the Common which may have been abandoned by the suspect." A bomb squad was deployed "to investigate out of an abundance of caution," officials said.

A group of State Police and FBI officials were assembled on Boston Common near Beacon Street on Wednesday morning, with an unidentified item laying on the ground nearby.

Authorities had initially cordoned off the State House steps with yellow caution tape. By around 9:15 a.m., a larger swath of the sidewalk was blocked off. Officials could be heard discussing preserving footprints around the scene.

Police K-9 units were also searching bushes around the Hooker entrance Wednesday morning. Some officials walking around the building wore shirts that read "FBI Evidence Response Team."

Amid the commotion, tourists continued to mill about in front of the State House, with groups still heading into the building. The building remained open to the public and most work inside proceeded as usual despite the unusual scenes out front.

Authorities briefly set up a white tent outside the State House gates. In the early afternoon, agents in white scrubs appeared to be collecting evidence from the vandalized steps and gate.

A Bureau of the State House official told the News Service that they did not yet have an estimate of the damages. State Police said investigators will "continue their work to identify the person(s) responsible" and asked that anyone with information report it to the State Police Boston Barracks at (617) 727-6780.

Asked whether the vandalism is "unnerving," Healey told reporters, "It's more just upsetting as a reflection of the times, you know, that people would do something like that and would be motivated to do something like that."

"And that's what bothers me. It's like a breakdown of some fundamental decency and norms, right?" Healey said. "We see it in places around the country, and so I just want to denounce that in the strongest terms. And again, hope that investigators are able to apprehend and hold accountable whoever did it."

Healey's statement with Mariano and Spilka made no reference to the apparent meaning behind the "divest" graffiti. Some activists have been calling for state government to divest pension funds from companies that sell weapons to Israel and legislation to that effect got a hearing last week before the Joint Committee on Public Service.

There were 26,838 criminal incidents reported as "destruction/damage/vandalism of property" in Massachusetts last year. That's about 9.5% fewer than were recorded in 2023, according to preliminary state crime data released July 1. Since 2015, such incidents are down more than 21% across Massachusetts.