Graffiti with racial epithets directed at whites found in park bathroom

The restrooms at El Camino Park, 155 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. Google photo.

By the Daily Post staff

Palo Alto police are investigating “racial epithets directed at white people” found scrawled on the interior walls of a restroom at El Camino Park, across from Stanford Shopping Center.

Police believe the graffiti was put on the walls on Thursday or Friday. A city public works crew promptly removed the graffiti that was written with a black marker.

Police said they don’t have any information that could identify the vandal.

Police also said there is no known connection between this case and the graffiti that included a racial epithet that was found at Heritage Park, 300 Homer Ave., on March 21.

In a statement, police said that in the wake of recent national events and increased attention on hate crimes, the department is committed to thoroughly investigating any reported hate crimes in Palo Alto. In late March, the City Council denounced violence directed at people of Asian descent, and that came on the heels of months of efforts with City Council’s ongoing conversations and work on race and equity.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to call police at (650) 329-2413.  Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to [email protected] or sent via text message or voicemail to (650) 383-8984.

9 Comments

  1. Is this sort of publicity and hysterics over vandalism really helpful? It just gives the little thugs the attention and drama they crave, and encourages them to keep at it. It may feel cathartic and virtuous to be loudly outraged, but that just assures that there will be more. Prosecute them if you catch them,but otherwise just remove it and ignore it.

  2. This is nonsense. Broad statements about a large groups of people don’t constitute a hate crime. In order for it to be a hate crime an illegal act must take place with a stated intention that it was directed at an individual(s) because of a particular characteristic. The police must have nothing else to do if they think this must be investigated. Paint over the vandalism and move on.

  3. Oh Bobster, you’re entitled to your own opinions but not your own facts. If your act of vandalism is categorized as a “hate crime” — that is, an act committed for the purpose of intimidating or scaring a victim based on the victim’s actual or perceived disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation – then you face an automatic felony sentence. Read PC 422.55.

  4. Thanks Shannon for trying to set a right-wing nut straight, but he won’t hear you. He’ll turn up the volume on Fox News and just stew in his own anger.

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