Fells Point Residents Combat Serial Swastika Graffiti With Rainbow Hearts
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- This week, neighbors in Fells Point discovered that someone had drawn swastikas up and down Fleet Street.
So they sprang into action and worked quickly to cover up the symbols to show that love triumphs over hate.
"A neighbor actually texted us the morning of Wednesday about 7 a.m. that he walked out of his house and the light pole right in front of our houses had a fairly large swastika on it," said Kimberlee Swift of Fells Point.
They found not just one, but four swastikas all along parts of Fleet and Boston Streets. So they quickly decided to act quickly.
"It was incredibly heartening to have neighbors reach out and say 'you've got to come down here because
there's these swastikas but we're painting over them with rainbow hearts'" said District 1 Councilman Zeke Cohen.
Cohen worked with residents Luann Carra and Swift to paint the hearts over the swastikas.
"This is not acceptable. This is not who we are," said Carra. "We're an open loving community."
On Friday morning, they found that more swastikas had been drawn, so they once again covered them up.
This time, a neighbor may have caught the culprit on video and detectives are now working to identify the person.
Meanwhile, neighbors want to make sure that everyone in Fells Point knows that by putting up these hearts, all are welcome here.
"To put out the rainbow that just sort of shines so bright and says you know we're here for everybody this blanket is open for all of us," said Swift.
If you have any information about who painted these swastikas you're asked to contact Baltimore City Police. Cohen said officials have asked police to charge the culprit with a hate crime.
