Communities remove racist graffiti

Coatesville, Valley and Downingtown civic leaders say it will not be tolerated

Area residents were concerned their children may have seen the display of racist graffiti, which is something that local leaders say they won’t tolerate.

Three separate sites in Coatesville, including a car, a garage door and the wall of a convenience store located at Valley Road and Stroud Avenue, were vandalized between 3 and 4 a.m. Tuesday. The graffiti included racial slurs and Nazi symbols, according to officials.

Coatesville police said George F. Rissell, 24, of Coatesville, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with multiple counts of ethnic intimidation and criminal mischief. Rissell has claimed past

associations with white supremacy groups, according to police.

Coatesville City Manager Michael Trio commended the Coatesville police for doing a great job in their investigation and to make an arrest. He said the city leaders want to prosecute to fullest extent of the law.

“We’re going to immediately address it. Council is very concerned about it happening,” Trio said about the graffiti. “We have a lot good things going on. There’s no place for that and we’re not going to tolerate it.”

City Council Vice President and activist Marie Lawson said that Coatesville members stand up when they face adversity and several people offered to help the victims to remove the graffiti.

“We like to think that wouldn’t happen in Coatesville,” Lawson said about the graffiti. “We’re a closeknit community. When it happened, the community came together and asked to help.”

She said community members helped the victims shortly after the discovery of the graffiti was reported to police and that she heard that the business owner had help from neighbors to quickly cover up the graffiti at the store. She noted that in general graffiti sometimes hangs around, but no one wanted that.

“It showed they won’t tolerate it either,” Lawson said. “Hate is not accepted here or in the surrounding 19320 (Coatesville area zip code).”

She added that the Coatesville police worked diligently, and the arrest reassured the residents that racist graffiti is not tolerated in a diverse neighborhood like Coatesville.

Coatesville Police Sgt. Rodger Ollis said on Thursday that there has not been additional graffiti discovered in the city and that the victims and police officers had covered up the racist graffiti discovered early Tuesday morning.

“It’s damaging to a community in a way,” Ollis said about the graffiti he described as hurtful.

He reached out to the property owners that were victimized and told them a group of volunteers offered to remove the graffiti, but it was already taken care of that quickly by other community members and business owners.

He said that Coatesville is a diverse community and the residents want to see the city grow economically and to once again become a destination in Chester County.

“Any graffiti could damage that,” said Ollis, who added that the hatred displayed makes people “feel uneasy, regardless of race.”

Valley police are working with the city detectives on the case to determine if Rissell is responsible for the graffiti on township roads and traffic signs in multiple areas.

Valley Police Department Chief Joseph Friel said the police officers and the public works employees “came out really quickly to cover this garbage up.”

He said that residents expressed concerns about their children seeing the hateful graffiti because it was “right out there in the open.” He said that persons found responsible for the vandalism will be prosecuted.

“Any group or person that thinks you can paint racial stuff in Valley Township better think again,” Friel said. “If we find anyone painting disgusting racial slurs, pictures, or signs, the Valley Police Department will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

The racist graffiti was also spotted in Downingtown Borough, but it won’t be tolerated there either.

A Kerr Park visitor informed Downingtown Mayor Josh Maxwell that racist graffiti appeared on a picnic table at the Lion’s Pavilion. He alerted public works employees who painted over the graffiti.

“Downingtown Public Works responded within an hour,” Maxwell said. “We won’t be a community that tolerates this. Hate has no place in our community.”

SUBMITTED PHOTO Valley Township Streets Department employees Brian Myers and Josh Waltrop cover up racial graffiti on Wednesday that was painted on West 10th Avenue in the township.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Valley Township Streets Department employees Brian Myers and Josh Waltrop covered up racial graffiti on Wednesday that was painted on West 10th Avenue in the township. They replaced a stop sign that was vandalized by the alleged suspect who painted a...