Swastika Left On Lawn Of Tracy City Council Member's Home
TRACY (CBS13) - Tracy police are investigating a hate crime that occurred at the home of prominent black family earlier this week.
On Tuesday morning residents of the home in the 1500 block of Arrigotti Lane found several round, landscaping-type rocks on their front lawn in the shape of a swastika. In another spot, rocks were used to form the outline of a penis, said Tracy Police Department Lt. Mark Duxbury in a statement.
Tracy city council member Nancy Young and her husband, Pastor James Young, own the home. They are active in the community and hold positions with the Tracy African American Association.
"It's sad to say but people do some crazy stuff," said James. "Anytime you see that symbol, it means to 'F' you."
Tracy Mayor Brent Ives said: "Hate crimes and crimes against humanity continue to occur all around the world every day and we will be constantly vigilant to make sure that prejudice and intolerance never obtain a foothold in Tracy."
The culprits also left rocks behind Nancy's car tires. James is convinced the messages were meant for his wife and were not just some prank pulled by young kids who know his teenage sons.
"If they were after them, they would probably put rocks under their tires. They have cars, but (the culprits) just put them under hers," he said.
Nancy won her city council seat last year after a grueling election, which the pastor says turned dirty.
"When she was running, they took her signs down, tossed them out in the streets, sometimes on a daily basis," said James.
However, the pastor is not holding grudges and is taking a note from the book he preaches.
"We are not holding anything against anybody," said James. "We're praying it doesn't go any farther than that."
The pastor says he's not upset at who did it, which he believes sends a much better message than the ones left in his front yard.
"Hatred is a waste of time. It messes with your health and you grow old before your time," said James.
The pastor says he's considering installing security cameras outside his home in case this ever happens again.
The mayor personally apologized to the Young family about what happened, and promised them they would catch who did it.
The investigation is ongoing.
Police believe this is an isolated incident.
Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact the Tracy Police Department or Tracy Crime Stoppers.
