‘Someone had to do it’: Volunteers repaint Mount Rubidoux cross after vandalism - Press-Enterprise

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Most days, Riverside resident Danny Gutierrez hikes to the top of Mount Rubidoux and finds solace there.

But the morning of Saturday, June 27, when he rushed up the mountain after hearing the iconic cross at its top had been vandalized, was different.

“At first, it pissed me off, but it hurt more than anything,” Gutierrez said in an interview.

The cross, which is named after St. Junipero Serra and bears a plaque honoring the man credited with bringing the Mission system to California, was damaged Friday night, June 26, and covered in graffiti criticizing Serra.

• Volunteers repainted the cross on Mount Rubidoux in Riverside. (Photo courtesy of Danny Gutierrez)

• Workers from Riverside’s Parks and Recreation Department boarded up a hole in the cross on Mount Rubidoux. (Photo courtesy of the City of Riverside)

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• Volunteers have repainted the cross atop Mount Rubidoux in Riverside. (Photo courtesy of Danny Guiterrez)

Serra’s legacy has been challenged amid complaints that Spaniards, as they attempted to convert Native Americans to Catholicism, forced them into slavery and infected them with deadly diseases.

That’s not an association Gutierrez makes when he sees the cross.

“I could understand if it was a statue of him, but it’s a cross,” he said.

Soon, his anger turned to determination to fix the problem.

“Someone had to do it,” he said.

At first Gutierrez tried scrubbing off the graffiti. When that didn’t work, he went to The Home Depot, where they matched the paint color of the cross.

Between paint and other supplies, he spent about $40, he said.

Once he started painting, others pitched in. About 10 people who either saw the announcement he made on Facebook or walked to the top participated, although he didn’t ask for their names until later.

Mayor Rusty Bailey praised the repairers at the City Council meeting Tuesday, June 30.

“When he saw the damage, like many of us, he was angry,” Bailey said. “Danny decided to put his anger into action.”

Workers from the Parks Department boarded up holes, then sent the bill to the Rivers & Land Conservancy, which owns the land that includes the cross, said Parks and Recreation Director Adolfo Cruz. The conservancy will assess the structural integrity and complete the work, and is seeking donations to assist.

There are no known plans for increased security around the cross.

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‘Someone had to do it’: Volunteers repaint Mount Rubidoux cross after vandalism - Press-Enterprise
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