A San Leandro home was twice hit with spray-painted anti-Asian slurs over the weekend in what police are now investigating as a hate crime.
Police responded to the first incident of vandalism at 9 p.m. on Saturday, where “a racial epithet within an anti-Asian message” was scrawled on a realtor sign marketing the property for sale, Lieutenant Abe Teng said in a statement.
On Sunday police arrived at 7 a.m. to find the same epithet painted on the home’s garage door.
Teng said the vandalism is being investigated as a hate crime because the realtor, property owner, and recent tenants of the house are all of Asian descent, police added.
“Hate crimes of any sort will not be tolerated in the City of San Leandro,” Teng said. “The police department will devote extra resources to protect those being victimized by hate and to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice.”
Anyone with information regarding these incidents is urged to contact SLPD via any of the following methods: non-emergency line at (510)577-2740, anonymous tip line at (510)577-3278, or text-to-tip at 888777 (keyword: TipSLPolice).
Source: www.mercurynews.com