Racist message confronted motorists in Brookeville after digital signs were hacked

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A building sign in Brookeville was hacked and displayed a racist message toward African Americans, said Shiera Goff, public information officer for the Montgomery County Police Department.

The hack is a surprisingly visible display of anti-Black racism in the county, which has seen bias incidents rise steadily in recent years, according to police data.

Police said they received calls around 6:47 a.m. Saturday that a sign near Brookeville Road and Georgia Ave, a few miles north of Olney, displayed a racist message.

Officers later discovered that the sign, which is used for construction safety notices, had been hacked, and they were able to erase the post and have the sign removed, police say.

In response to questions from MoCo360, Goff said she was unable to disclose the content of the message or say how long the message remained live on the panel.

Police are asking anyone with information about this incident to call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). There is a reward of up to $10,000 for anyone who provides information leading to an arrest; callers can remain anonymous.

This incident happened weeks after Pride and Ukrainian flags were burned and vandalized in downtown Silver Spring on June 21. The day before, on June 20, the county council voted to create an anti-hate task force.

Montgomery County Public Schools unveiled a three-year action plan to address systemic racism on May 11 after an increase in hate incidents in public schools.

The number of bias incidents in the county has steadily increased from 93 in 2018 to 157 in 2022, according to the county police department.

This is the highest number of bias-related incidents reported to the MCPD since our internal reporting processes changed in 2015, Chief Marcus Jones wrote in the 2022 Bias Incidents Annual Report.

Of all incidents last year, nearly half (77) were racially motivated, the report said. Of these, 74% (57) were considered anti-black and 12% (9) were anti-Asian, Jones wrote.

Additionally, anti-Semitic incidents at MCPS and across the county have increased over the past year, including hate graffiti, flyers, and swastika drawings on desks.

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