MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Residents in the Del Tierra neighborhood in Bradenton woke up Monday to swastikas and racial slurs drawn on structures.
- Racial slurs and swastikas on community's front gate
- Residents believe teenagers used mulch to draw on the walls
- Neighbors helped clean up the vandalism
Some of the words were so offensive Spectrum Bay News 9 couldn't show them on television.
Residents believe the person used mulch to draw hate symbols on the walls. They also have an idea of who they think may be responsible.
"Everyone’s mad. It’s a very…we’re under the impression it was probably teenagers," Del Tierra resident Robin Nickel said. "I know it couldn’t possibly be an adult in my heart. I just can’t imagine that."
The community does have security cameras, but neighbors said they weren't working at the time. They plan to have them repaired to catch anyone on camera who plans to try something like this in the neighborhood again.
The neighbors stepped up to get the graffiti cleaned up.
According to our partners at the Bradenton Herald, the Sheriff's Office doesn't consider this vandalism because no damage was caused and the graffiti was cleaned up within five minutes of the discovery.
The members of the community want to clear up any misconceptions about the people who live here and what they will tolerate.
"It’s not indicative of our neighborhood. We are a very multicultural neighborhood. The thing that was really important to me was that the community acted immediately and cleaned it up themselves," Nickel said.
A community determined to come together with images they say are meant to tear people apart.