Message of hate – pixeled out.. Screen capture from NBC7.
There was a hate crime committed in Liberty Station last weekend – Saturday morning, Nov. 26th. It happened at the New Americans Museum when someone vandalized two of the museum’s signs out in a public hallway with anti-immigration slurs written in black marker.
It occurred during the day while the museum was open. “Go back to your country,” was part of the hate message – the rest was so bad that the media didn’t disclose it. It has now been removed.
San Diego Police have begun an investigation and the FBI were notified. Staff at the museum are re-thinking their surveillance systems, as currently they’re only in the galleries area. Executive Director Linda Sotelo, told local NBC :
“We see this as a hate crime, and we’re taking it very seriously.”
Sotelo also stated:
“The New Americans Museum is a place that celebrates the contributions of all immigrants to our nation’s fabric. When I first saw it, I was shaken to be honest. It was very deliberate. It was very composed. It was well-written. They took their time doing it.”
“There was also a boldness to the message. The way it was done. In broad daylight, in a public space, with children and families walking by there,”
Staff at the NTC Foundation issued the following statement in support of the museum:
Incident at New Americans Museum
We want to make you aware of something that occurred this past Saturday in building 202. Two exhibit signs at New Americans Museum (NAM) were defaced with anti-immigrant statements. This has been reported to the police, documented, and removed. Our property manager is working closely with NAM staff to develop preventative measures and ensure safety to the extent we are able to do that, being that we operate public spaces.
The statement below is what has been released and posted on our facebook page.
We were deeply troubled by the recent defacing of exhibit signage at The New Americans Museum. While we fully support freedom of speech, this vandalism is an attack on the institution and not appropriate in any way. The New Americans Museum’s mission strives to promote understanding and interaction between newcomers and native-born Americans and dialogue around related issues has always been welcome. Destruction of property is not. We hope that this rare and unfortunate situation will not be repeated.
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