Racist stickers plastered at Tacoma school, park investigated as hate crime
Racist stickers were put up at a Northeast Tacoma school and community park, and police are investigating them as a hate crime.
The stickers were found Sunday at Crescent Heights Elementary School and a community playground at Tuscany at Northshore, a country club neighborhood.
Many of the stickers were the same.
Some said “White Lives Matter,” some showed a middle finger flipping off BLM (Black Lives Matter), some said “Kill your local drug dealer” and some had a red line across a cartoon depiction of a Black man. At least one read “Ghettos don’t produce thugs, thugs produce ghettos.”
“The Tacoma Police Department takes all hate crimes seriously, and we are committed to a thorough and exhaustive investigation involving any crime predicated on violence or hate speech towards any persons protected under the statute,” said Lt. Jennifer Mueller, who oversees patrol for that area of the city. “There is no place for this type of hate in our city. We are committed to being a welcoming community for all.”
A resident spotted the four offensive stickers plastered on signs and parking lot poles at Crescent Heights Elementary on Nassau Avenue Northeast and notified school officials, who called police.
It’s unknown how when they were put up or by whom.
“It is deeply disheartening that this appalling incident took place on our school property,” said Rae McNally, a spokesperson for Tacoma Public Schools. “We regret any pain these stickers may have caused to the people who unfortunately viewed them. Discrimination, harassment and racist behavior are unacceptable and are not tolerated at Tacoma Public Schools.”
The stickers have since been removed.
A member of the homeowners association at Tuscany at Northshore, which is about 1.5 miles from the school on the other side of North Shore Public Golf Course, also reported finding the stickers in a neighborhood park.
There were 14 stickers discovered on the swing set and gazebo, among other places.
Ronald Moore, president of the homeowners association, said this is the second time he’s had to personally remove offensive stickers or graffiti from the park. He said it has hit him hard, both as HOA president and an African-American man.
“Now that I’ve gone through the tears, anger, and pain, I am committed. I am committed to ensuring the person or people who committed this hate crime are brought to justice,” Moore said. “There are bylaws and CC&Rs in our community, but more than that we have our community values and they will not continue to be threatened in this manner.”
These are the first hate crimes reported in Tacoma this year. From January through October of 2020, there were 21 hate crimes, down from 22 reported in the same time period in 2019.
This story was originally published January 12, 2021 at 2:07 PM.
