Mayor Casey Burnett said he doesn’t consider the racist graffiti a hate crime. (WBBJ-TV/video screenshot)
An African-American family has fled their Tennessee home after months of racial abuse and vandalism. The situation doesn’t seem to be of much concern to the local mayor, however.
The family, who asked to remain anonymous, told local station WBBJ-TV they’ve suffered racial harassment since moving into their rental home in Friendship, Tenn. last year.
“From vandalizing my car, garage, breaking in, stealing things, beating on the door late at night,” said the father, who declined to appear on camera. On Wednesday, the man said he discovered racial slurs spray-painted on the side of his house. The family decided finding a new place to call home was the best option.
“If they’re bold enough to walk up on a lit; I’m saying this is a well lit house, at night and do this, there’s no telling what they’ll do next,” the father told WBBJ-TV.
Mayor Casey Burnett was one of the first people to spot the graffiti, which read “kill n—-s” and “get out n—-s.” He doesn’t consider the incident a hate crime, however, claiming that instances like it aren’t “reflective of our community.”
“It did have a little bit of a racial slur to it, but we’re not a racial community at all,” Burnett said. “That’s a pretty building, and it’s right on the corner there in the downtown area, and I was just more concerned with getting the paint off the building than I was anything else.”
The family was apparently much more concerned about the racial abuse than their mayor. The father said the constant harassment and discrimination has taken a toll on them all.
“It’s always been a message that we were not wanted here in Friendship, Tennessee,” he told the station.
Local authorities said an investigation is underway but they’re still waiting on surveillance footage from a nearby business that may help them solve the case.
Burnett said he believes the incident will “blow over” in a few days.
“If we had a problem, we won’t put up with it,” he said. “We’ll put a stop to it, but I think this will blow over in a day or two.”
