Last week, it was a hate-filled letter targeting public officials in Thompson that prompted concern throughout the community.
“It’s a bigger issue than one community, one town, one state and it just needs to stop,” said Larry Groh, Thompson resident and former first selectman.
This weekend, another incident of hate speech occurred in Hartford, when a Black Lives Matter mural was defaced with language and symbolism promoting white supremacy. The incident happened roughly two weeks after artists had already started to restore the mural that was originally painted in 2020.
“It was horrible. It was very disappointing when we first got here, it was upsetting of course,” said Sacha Kelly, one artist on the project.
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In a statement, the NAACP said the act “undermines the tireless efforts of countless individuals working towards racial harmony.”
Officials say hate crimes of this nature are increasing, and that it’s a trend that led lawmakers to establish the CT State Police Hate Crimes Unit back in 2022.
“An estimated one in 10 of our communities around the state have been targeted with white supremacist stickers and flyers,” said Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz (D).
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According to police, a person of interest has been identified for the letter incident in Thompson, but they are still searching for suspects as it relates to Hartford’s mural.
“It’s important that they know that they are in the minority with those hateful thought patterns and with those ideologies that are essentially just the worst that humanity has to offer,” Kelly said.
Police say the two cases are still under investigation.
“Some of these bias incidents might not rise to a criminal level, but what is important to know is that there is a civil aspect to this, and so just because a crime has not been deemed to have occurred, an arrest has not occurred, there still could be civil liability for the offender in these cases,” said Lt. Kate Cummings of CT State Police.
Black Lives Matter 860 posted on Twitter on Monday night saying a rally will be held Wednesday at the mural at 5:30 p.m. to denounce hate.
