Fort Smith vandalism weighed as hate crime

Police in Fort Smith say officers are investigating an act of vandalism in the city Thursday morning as a possible hate crime.

Authorities were notified shortly before 7: 30 a. m. of criminal mischief in the 8500 block of South 32nd Terrace, Police Department spokesman Aric Mitchell said in a news release.

A resident in the area woke up to find “racially-charged and insensitive language” spray-painted on the victim’s car and garage, as well as a friend’s vehicle, according to the news release. One vehicle’s tire had been slashed.

At the home, Fort Smith police spoke to Amber Henderson, Henderson’s roommate Shelby Furr and their friend Sabrina Bray, according to a police report. The incident took place between 9 p. m. Wednesday and 7:20 a.m. Thursday. The report stated Henderson and Furr are white, and their children are half-black. Bray was listed in the report as a black woman. She and her son spent the night at the home.

A racial slur was written in orange spray paint on the passenger side of a maroon 2007 Chevrolet Silverado pickup that Bray borrowed from a friend.

A gray 2013 Ford Fusion, which Henderson borrowed from a family member, had a racial slur painted on the top of the vehicle, “die” on the back glass, “move” on the front glass, “white power SS” on the front hood, and racial slurs on the passenger side doors. The two front tires had been cut with a knife or a box cutter, and there appeared to be sugar or salt left around the gas cap, police said. No damage amount was listed for the two vehicles.

Police found another racial slur painted on one of the walls of the garage, causing $50 in damage. Henderson, who reported having lived at the home for only a week before this happened, said the garage door had been left open overnight. Police listed a red push lawn mower as stolen.

Mitchell said the incident was referred to the FBI for consideration as a hate crime under federal law.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, issued a statement Thursday condemning the vandalism. National Communications Coordinator Ayan Ajeen said the organization urged law enforcement authorities and public officials to “take this act of intimidation seriously.”

“The racism and white supremacy promoted at the highest levels of our society is increasingly having an impact on ordinary Americans,” Ajeen said.

Fort Smith attracted national attention after a mosque in the city was vandalized in October 2016.

A New York Times article dated Aug. 26, 2017, reported messages spray-painted on the Al Salam mosque included “Go Home” and “We Don’t Want You Here U.S.A.”, as well as swastikas. The incident prompted an outpouring of support for the mosque by people from a variety of religious backgrounds not just in Fort Smith but across the country.