Residents hold rally after racist graffiti found in South Riding – NBC4 Washington

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Residents of Loudoun County staged a protest and worked to stamp out the hateful and racist vandalism found in South Riding, Va., on Sunday.

According to the Loudoun County Sheriffs Office and the Loudoun4All group, the vandalism uncovered earlier in the week was hateful and racist rhetoric spray-painted in a Food Lion parking lot in downtown South Riding.

The vandalism was apparently not eligible for removal by the county because it was on private property. So the owner of Timbers Landscaping came to the rescue and offered to remove the vandalism for free with pressure washers. What couldn’t be erased was chalked by children, who wrote Spread Love Not Hate.

In a Facebook post, the company thanked the community and said it was erasing the hate.

Loudoun4All also held a Hate Has No Home in South Riding event on Sunday at the mall. The purpose of the event was to show that hateful graffiti would not be tolerated, according to a Facebook event page.

Supporters were also asked to bring posters and markers. Photos from the event show signs stating that hate has no place here and the hate must be stopped.

The event brought together residents of various ages and Virginia delegate Suhas Subramanyam.

We’re showing up and #standagainsthate with Loudoun4All in solidarity against the racist and anti-Semitic graffiti sprayed in South Riding last week, Subramanyam posted on Facebook. We will always fight against these cowardly acts.

It’s sad, but there is still hatred for teaching and exercise, wrote Timbers Landscaping Care LLC.

Loudoun County Commonwealth Attorney Buta Biberaj released a statement about the graffiti.

“Without a doubt, Loudoun County is made better and stronger by the diversity of our people. This weekend, our community was attacked by individuals who chose to tag the South Riding Mall with vile marks and hateful,” Biberaj wrote. “This public display of hate speech is sadly another reminder that some will choose to try to divide our community, or worse threaten our safety. Intentional attack on specific and marginalized groups within our county will not be tolerated. .”

The sheriff’s office is investigating the vandalism. They ask anyone with information to contact 703-777-1021.

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