CBS2 Exclusive: Giants' Nikita Whitlock Has Home Vandalized With Hateful Graffiti
Updated Thursday, Dec. 8 4:31 p.m.
MOONACHIE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The Bergen County home of a local athlete was broken into Tuesday evening. Several items were taken, but what's more disturbing is what the suspects left behind.
The first thing New York Giants fullback Nikita Whitlock saw when he walked in to his Moonachie home was a graffiti swastika on the wall which he's covered up to protect his 6-year-old son.
He went on to discover the letters "KKK" scrawled in his basement apartment, in addition to the words, "Go back to Africa."
"It just re-establishes that no matter where you are, no matter who you are, this can happen to you," he said.
The second year Giant has lived in his apartment for less than six months. This is the second break in he's endured.
He tells CBS2's Valerie Castro that this time, his wife Ashley and their two young children were only away for a few hours when the vandals made their way in through a small window.
Ashley says their sense of security is gone along with some jewelry and video game systems. Several other electronics were curiously left behind, but the offensive graffiti made it a more personal experience.
"It's very disgusting actually, it's very disheartening," she said. "You hear about things that do happen but you never think 'Oh, this is going to happen to me.'"
Nikita thinks this isn't something somebody could do in ten minutes, that whoever did this took their time.
"It's about to be 2017," says Nikita. "Oppression, violence, racism, hatred, violence, there's no need for that."
Police are still investigating the first break-in that took place over the Thanksgiving holiday.
The Whitlocks decided on moving out of their current home before either of the incidents occurred.
On Thursday, Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz said he believes the incident is "a direct reflection of how this country's being run and how this country's reacting maybe to some of the decisions, some of the ways that this country's being run and things that are being said by people at the helm of this country and at the helm of our day-to-day lives — our day-to-day from social media all the way up to the White House.
The Anti-Defamation League, meanwhile, released a statement Thursday saying it "stands closely" with Whitlock and his family.
"What took place at the home of Nikita Whitlock is unconscionable and a cowardly act which has no place in our society," said Evan R. Bernstein, the ADL's New York regional director. "It is deeply concerning to see such a searing attack, apparently intended to intimidate and instill fear and one that has the potential to make individuals feel highly vulnerable and insecure.
