Police are looking into an incident where a predominantly Black neighborhood in Montgomery, Alabama, was spray-painted with racist messaging.
A resident walked outside his Dannelly Pines residence on Saturday to find that his property and vehicle were vandalized with racial slurs and swastikas. According to the Montgomery Advertiser, Otis Ramos, a Black man, made the discovery around 4 a.m., and the unknown perpetrator also shattered the window to his kid’s bedroom.
Ramos’ home was not the only one that got hit, as other people in his community noticed that their property was also damaged.
“We going through something right now, and not only are we going through something, but a couple of our neighbors are going through something with us in 2023,” Ramos told the Advertiser. “It’s like you wouldn’t expect it, but being Black, you kind of understand, ‘OK, well you don’t expect it, but you expect it.’ (At) the end of the day … what’s going to be done about it?”
Ramos, who is relatively new to the neighborhood, said he thinks the issue stems from an encounter at a nearby gas station where a man asked him for money, WSFA reported. When Ramos declined because he had no cash on him, he and the man got into a heated verbal dispute.
He said a man who was captured on camera walking in his neighborhood that morning appeared to be the same person from the confrontation, according to the report.
Montgomery police officers arrived at the scene at around 6:30 a.m. They said they’re investigating the matter as a hate crime.
“We ARE looking at the act as a hate crimes violation and will complete a thorough report with all pertinent facts for presentation to our federal partner,” a Montgomery police spokesperson told WSFA.
Mayor Steven Reed said local officials are working to locate and hold the perpetrators accountable.
“We are aware of this incident, and we will work with the victims and community members to prosecute those responsible for this cowardly act to the fullest extent of the law,” he stated, per the outlet.
