NEW ORLEANS - A statue portraying the first U.S. president, George Washington, is the latest monument to be vandalized in the New Orleans area.

WWL-TV reports the statue was defaced using red spray paint, including the letters "BLM", shorthand for "Black Lives Matter", at the base. The statue is located outside the New Orleans Public Library on Loyola Avenue.

The incident is the latest in a rash of seemingly politically-motivated acts of vandalism around the city. Most previous incidents have targeted monuments of Confederate figures or known slave owners.

Last week, three statues were vandalized in a single night, including monuments of philanthropist Sophie B. Wright, Confederate soldier Charles Didier Dreux, and John McDonogh.