Residents of the Washington Virginia Vale neighborhood in southeast Denver woke up on April 26^th to see that their neighborhood had been blanketed with anti-Semitic, racist and other offensive graffiti overnight. According to police reports, more than 30 vehicles, as well as at least one home, neighborhood streets and additional property, were vandalized.

Upon learning of the incident, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) responded to the scene, assisted law enforcement, issued a security advisory to Jewish institutions in the area and attended a community meeting about the vandalism. The vandalism was especially egregious because it occurred during Passover in a neighborhood with many Jewish residents and Jewish institutions.

Scott L. Levin, ADL Mountain States Regional Director, issued the following statement:

The Anti-Defamation League condemns the hateful graffiti placed on cars, homes and in the streets of Denver. The graffiti, which includes the message ‘kill Jews, ‘KKK’ and other offensive language and symbols, represents an attack on the entire community, meant to instill fear and intimidation. We urge members of the community to speak out and declare in one voice that these acts of hate are unacceptable.

The majority of the vandalism happened in the area of the 700 and 800 blocks of South Hudson and South Grape Streets. No suspects are in custody and no arrests have yet been made. The incident remains under investigation by the Denver Police Department, which is investigating the incident as a potential hate crime. Police are asking anyone with information on the investigation to call 720-913-7867.