Vandals defaced a public school and a store in Fairfield, Connecticut with words and phrases in protest against the upcoming Biden administration.
McKinley Elementary School, known in the area for its “incredible diversity,” saw “United States of China” spray-painted on the sidewalk leading to its entrance, as well as on a snowbank near its parking lot on Wednesday.
The phrase “Biden for Socialism” also appeared on a sidewalk near the school but was removed before the police officers arrived.
“The poignancy of placing it at a school location, the vandalism, and a political message, and a hate message against a racial group, at a school,” Republican State Senator Tony Hwang told FOX 61. “At McKinley School which is well renowned in the region for its incredible diversity. Over 40 languages spoken, religion, ethnicity, culture, it is a tremendous melting pot of a community.”
In a statement to parents, Principal Teresa Gingrave stressed that there is “no place for divisiveness or political rhetoric” in McKinley.
“Today, we learned of disturbing graffiti defacing the sidewalk outside of McKinley Elementary School. As we process the events unfolding across our country, we know that many in our community are dealing with feelings of anger, hurt, and fear. However, our children are watching and our school must continue to be a safe space for all our students,” Gingrave said, according to Patch.
Officers found more graffiti on the nearby TJ MAXX building on the same day. These included similar phrases such as “Beijing Biden,” “Commie Kamala” and the word “communism,” which were all crossed out.
No suspects have been identified as of this writing, but investigations are underway.
“These incidents are being investigated as acts of Vandalism. At this time, there is no evidence to support that the offense qualifies as a ‘Hate Crime’ as defined by statute,” the Fairfield Police Department wrote. “In such a politically divided time, it is important to understand the difference between exercising your constitutionally protected right of freedom of speech and those acts that constitute criminal activity such as vandalism fueled by one’s personal beliefs.”
Anyone with information regarding the incidents is urged to call the Detective Bureau at (203) 254-4840 or send an anonymous tip to CRIMES (274637) by texting “FPD” with relevant information.
Feature Images via Fairfield Police Department
