A Los Angeles family alleges they are victims of racially motivated vandalism in their community.
During the period between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, their red Ford Mustang was spray-painted with the words “Merry Christmas, N—gers” on the side.
The act marks the third time something like this has happened to them, causing the family distress and growing concerns about their safety. On the bumpers in black paint, the suspects drew swastikas and wrote other forms of graffiti all over the car. They did not stop there; photographs show that the car’s tires were slashed.
The victim, Reginald Scott, believes the harassment is in retaliation for parking in front of someone’s home but did not disclose what made him believe that.
His son said that if that is the reason, it does not justify the crime.
“Even if you’re parked where you’re not supposed to be, I don’t think that gives you the right to spray paint somebody’s car and call them a racial slur. That’s hurtful,” his son said to KTLA.
According to Scott, police were the first to tell him about his car being vandalized on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023. They were told by watchful neighbors.
“I got a call from my son with the Police at the door who stated he was a Sergeant and informed my son that the car had been vandalized,” he wrote in a GoFundMe profile he started. “I immediately returned home and arrived with three policeman and 2 police cars at our apartment and went ahead and filed a police report.”
Scott’s neighbor Paul Frias in their San Pedro community also agreed, saying, “It’s just wrong.”
“They flattened the tires, they damaged it,” Frias said. “It’s just something you don’t want to see every day because ‘What if that could’ve been my vehicle?’”
The San Pedro neighborhood in Los Angeles has a demographic composition of 8.1 percent Black, 53.9 percent Hispanic, and 22.2 percent white population.
Scott acknowledges that vandalism is not uncommon in his community. However, the chances that this particular type of racialized vandalism, recently initiated against his family, happens to others are slim. Scott, who has lived in his house for over 20 years, had been targeted twice before over the past two years.
He said, “[Someone] cut my truck tires and sprayed some stuff all over it to where I think, ‘They’re starting to up it and we’re starting to get scared being around here.”
With everything that is going on, Scott’s wife is especially nervous about the safety of the whole family, including their 12-year-old son.
“She doesn’t want the doors to be unlocked. She’s pretty much on high alert,” he said.
The father describes this incident as “shameful, embarrassing, and difficult” to explain to their son.
“We also, no longer feel safe. It would be so wonderful to have the community support us through this difficult time and help us move and recreate the peace our household once had,” he wrote on the crowdfunding campaign.
His community answered back.
One person wrote, “Please know that there are countless people out here that are devastated that this type of thing happens. Whoever did this has to be desperately unhappy. Why? We are so sorry and want you to know we’re behind you!”
Another spoke directly to the community, “San Pedro is better than this.”
