'Rape And Kill All White People' Spray-Painted On Fence In Huntington Station

UPDATED at 4:15 p.m. The words "rape and kill all white people" were found spray-painted on a fence in Huntington Station on Monday morning, just two days after three people were killed in events related to a Nazi-flavored white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

One community member spotted the graffitied words on Depot Road, between Bogart Street and Cortelyou Street East, at around 8:40 a.m. Another resident in a community group said the graffiti must have happened overnight.

The words "rape and kill all white people" were written in large letters, covering much of the fence's surface area, making it easy for passersby to read the message.

Patch reached out to Suffolk County Police, who said the Hate Crime Unit detectives were investigating the incident. "Suffolk County Police Hate Crimes Section detectives are investigating racial graffiti that was found painted on a fence this morning on the corner of Depot Road, near Bogart Street, in Huntington Station," Suffolk County Police Assistant Commissioner Justin Meyers said in a statement.

The alarming graffiti comes one day after protesters took the streets in Huntington to march in solidarity of those targeted in the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville.

Police have responded to the location of the graffiti.

Huntington spokesman A.J. Carter said the Town was notified of the graffiti in the morning and contacted the police and the owner of the property. "[The landlord] will be removing the graffiti this afternoon; in the meantime, with the owner's permission, the Town is covering it with a tarp," he said.

The Town says the graffiti was removed on Monday afternoon.

Assemb. Chad Lupinacci has called for an increase of patrols in the area in light of this incident.

“After receiving multiple phone calls from upset and frightened constituents this morning, our office has been in contact with local law enforcement to step up patrols in the area for the safety and security of residents who are on edge," Lupinacci said in a statement. As someone who was born and raised in Huntington Station, I want to reassure the community that such acts of hatred will not be tolerated here, as they are not tolerated anywhere in New York. Hate speech directed towards any group of people needs to be publicly denounced now more than ever. Our support of free speech does not translate into tolerance for hate speech, and hate speech of any kind in our community is unacceptable."

Anyone with information related to the incident can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS to anonymously submit tips.

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Image courtesy of Lizzie Brown