Police Investigate Another Swastika In Chatham

CHATHAM – Police are actively investigating after a swastika and “MAGA” was spray-painted on a downtown business over the weekend.

 The graffiti, painted on an outbuilding behind the Children’s Shop at 515 Main St., was steps away from the sidewalk and was discovered shortly before 3:45 p.m. Saturday.

 A similar message, spray-painted in what appeared to be the same color of red, was discovered on a house under construction off Cedar Street on Jan. 29.

 “To me, it is a troubling trend,” Police Chief Michael Anderson said Monday. “We’re fortunate that this happened to happen in an area that has many public and private surveillance cameras that we are currently reviewing,” he said.

 The graffiti was promptly removed, property owner Ginny Nickerson said.

Following the initial offense, Anderson and Town Manager Jill Goldsmith issued a statement condemning the act, saying hateful imagery has no place in Chatham.

 “Chatham prides itself on being a welcoming and inclusive town, and we will not tolerate actions meant to intimidate or divide us,” Goldsmith wrote.

The graffiti comes on the heels of an incident in Brewster on Jan. 24, when a resident called police to report having observed what appeared to be a swastika drawn in the snow that was on the ice of Elbow Pond.

 The crimes are part of a national proliferation of antisemitic acts in recent years, according to Anti-defamation League New England Regional Director Samantha Joseph, who urged the community to hold the perpetrator or perpetrators accountable.

 “If hateful acts like this are allowed to be normalized they grow — just as we're seeing," she said.

 No arrests have been made yet in any of the incidents. Anderson urged anyone with information about the crimes to come forward. Anyone who might have seen suspicious activity in the area of the Children’s Shop Friday or early Saturday is asked to call police at 508-945-1213.