All of us living in Picayune have something in common, in addition to geography. We are all victims of the crime of vandalism.

Recent examples of vandalism include the defacing of stop signs and four fires set Monday that are suspected to be acts of arson.

All types of vandalism are criminal acts.

Due to the fire at Friendship Park the city will have to file an insurance claim, wait for claim approval and expend valuable resources to repair the gazebo damage.

While a bit less severe, graffiti on stop signs leads to waste of tax dollars to replace damaged ones.

What is of major concern is there are people in this community who display this lack of respect for the community.

Vandalism not only leads to additional expense to repair the damage, community members also pay an emotional price when they possess an attachment to what was damaged.

While it is only a wooden structure, the gazebo at Friendship Park represents more to the citizens and children of Picayune than the sum of its parts.

That attachment was evident Tuesday morning as a number of cars passed by the park to see just how much damage the park sustained. Disapproving social media posts also displayed the love Picayune residents have for their park.

Personal property was also destroyed. Fortunately, the two-story apartment building set ablaze that same night was unoccupied. However, destruction of the building displays a total disregard for the property and possessions other’s have worked hard to build.

Let us pray that lack of respect does not grow into more severe acts that could cause injury.

Where there is society, there will be acts of vandalism. But on the flip side, the good people of Picayune will rebuild what was damaged by these malicious acts.