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For the second time this month, Palo Alto police are investigating a hate crime at a downtown parking garage, where a racial epithet directed against Black people and an anti-Jewish symbol were found Friday.
The vandalism was reported by a passerby about 5:30 p.m. at City Lot “R” on 528 High St., in two places on the second floor. The racial epithet was found on a sign, and the offensive symbol was near a stairwell, both drawn in black marker, Palo Alto police said in a press release on Monday.
Public Works crews were called to immediately remove the writings.
A prior vandalism incident was reported at the garage on Sept. 15, when racial epithets directed at Black people were written on a concrete pillar, police said.
Authorities believe it’s possible the vandalism was committed by the same person, but there is no known connection with it or other cases reported in the city this year. Police have yet to identify a suspect in any of the incidents.
Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call the department’s 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent by text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the police’s free mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.
Speaking of hate crimes and hate speech, last night’s City Council had some very interesting public comments on the topic, especially the threats against city council woman Lydia Kou to rape her, slit her throat and harm her children. The speakers, especially Bill Ross, called on the city manager and DA and PAPD to finally address the issue and to send a message that this incident is a teaching moment about police accountability as well as the deafening silence from the city manager and the county DA.
Listen to the comments starting at around the 4:00 (hour) point https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz-y1YwZ1vo
Why doesn’t the City of Palo Alto install more surveillance cameras in city operated parking lots?
This would assist the PAPD in identifying the culprits.
Monday’s City Council meeting was exceptional. On the one hand, the serious problems mentioned by Online Name were raised, while on the other CC progressed on solutions for two serious problems w/their support for the housing for the disabled and the housing for the unhoused. Hopefully the City Manager will find a way to raise his voice (not his communication director’s voice) on the issue of hate crime and the city will progress on that front, too.
Annette, thanks for mentioning the city manager’s failure to speak out. I’ve noticed his increasing stonewalling on calls to comment and his delegating his communications staff to make bland evasive comments. Most recently he told her to respond to the questions about the recent suicide of the Stanford student on the railroad tracks; they refused to answer questions about the myriad of costly failed programs which many of us recall where they installed non-working tracking devices, then after massive outcries they hired a contractor who hired human guards that repeatedly burglarized nearby homes. After another outcry, the hired another contractor who put in this latest non-working sensor.
Then the “Communications” director got snippy about the questions about reliability and costs of these failed programs and systems.
How long are we supposed to tolerate this stonewalling on major issues? And why should we? They make huge salaries and benefits and are supposed to be working for us!
It would be helpful if we had a photo of the graffiti. How can WE judge if it was a hate crime or just a prank gone bad? As for “investigating”, since it involves and anti-Jewish symbol (I assume a swastika) and anti-Black statements, why doesn’t the PAPD just assume that it is a hate crime and proceed accordingly? What the Hell is wrong with those anti-vaxers??? Their politics?