Three juveniles charged in racist graffiti incident behind the Sebastopol Safeway

Nazi symbols and anti-black and anti-semitic graffiti shock neighbors on Pitt Avenue

A swastika and other Nazi, racist and anti-Semitic graffiti was spray-painted on the wall behind Safeway that faces onto Pitt Avenue.

On Monday, April 27, Todd Swindell, a Sebastopol resident for 23 years, reported that someone had defaced a street-facing wall and a utility box on Pitt Avenue with Nazi symbols, the N-word, and the phrases “Nigga-killer” and “Hitler was right.”

Swindell noted that his niece and several of her neighbors—who are black—live within sight of the graffiti and “shouldn’t have to be subjected to this.”

Swindell said his niece and her neighbors were disappointed by the response of Safeway after the incident was reported.

“The incident was reported to the Sebastopol Police Department and Safeway in the early afternoon, but the vile message remained there all day,” Swindell wrote in a late-night letter to Interim City Manager Mary Gourley, the Sebastopol City Council and the Sebastopol Times.

Early yesterday evening, when Swindell heard what happened, he headed over to Pitt Avenue, stopping to buy some spray paint along the way.

He said he, his niece, and her aunt all have strong community activist backgrounds. “My niece, a former Analy student, organized the BLM mural on the Sebastopol Plaza, and I was in Act Up San Francisco, so our first thing was, ‘This can’t stand.’”

When he arrived, his niece and some of the other neighbors were standing around looking at the graffiti. He said one young black woman seemed particularly angry and freaked out. Swindell offered her the spray paint, asking, “Do you want to do it? And she's like, ‘Yeah!’ She grabbed that thing outta my hand. It's the one thing that really helped change the energy for me is seeing her grab that can and get right on there and just reclaim the space.”

Soon after it was covered over, Swindell said Safeway manager Michael Drake came out with spray paint. “I spoke with him about my distress over the ongoing problem and the extremely violent nature of this current incident,” Swindell wrote. “While sympathetic, he seemed to feel a security camera would not stop the graffiti, given that it still occurs in other areas where the store has cameras.”

Though it may not stop the vandals, Swindell would like to see Safeway install cameras.

“Many of the residents agree that even if a camera doesn’t prevent it, there would at least be a chance to try and identify those responsible and hold them, and their parents, accountable,” he wrote in his letter. “I’ve also heard residents speak about having some sort of fencing that could prevent access to this area.”

Swindell noted that the back of Safeway has been an eyesore for some time. (Indeed, the Sebastopol Times was called out there a few months ago by another neighbor complaining about some different graffiti in the same location—in that case, it was just some crudely drawn flowers and a few indelicate swear words.)

“High school kids have congregated there for a long, long time,” Swindell said. “They leave a lot of trash, they hang out, they drink, smoke weed and stuff like that.”

He also said his niece has, in the past, reported racial harassment from some of the boys who hang out behind Safeway.

“I will say that the majority of the kids are just kids, right? And they don't have any malicious intent,” Swindell said. “But there has been, over the years, incidences of young white men yelling racial slurs at my niece at that spot. It's been a problem for some time, for a couple of years, but nothing at this level, right?”

Swindell said the graffiti hit him hard.

“It's really upsetting for me, particularly in Sebastopol, because we’re Peacetown, right? Like I know this exists. I know this is here, but this does not represent Sebastopol values. But it’s here,” he said. You don’t need to go to the South or Washington DC. This is here. It’s in our own community and we have a responsibility as citizens to address this—not just say we disagree with it or it’s wrong, which is important, but to go a step further and counteract it.”

As Swindell and I talked, I realized that he hadn’t heard the news that the Sebastopol Police had identified and charged three juveniles in this incident. Somehow that email—which was addressed to him—had gone astray. Here was the email that Police Chief Sean McDonagh sent out this morning:

Hi Todd,

I received your email from the Interim City Manager this morning and wanted to provide you with an update regarding this incident and the work our officers have undertaken.

I was personally the first officer on scene when the call was received, as I was already on my way to perform a patrol of Safeway, which is something that all officers from this department are required to do. On arrival, the involved parties had already left the area. Since that time, officers have conducted a thorough investigation and have identified and charged three juveniles in connection with this incident. The investigation remains ongoing, and we are currently working to identify and pursue charges against an additional involved juvenile for vandalism, conspiracy, and applicable hate crime violations. Due to the involvement of juveniles, not to mention that the investigation is not yet complete, we’re not able to share further details with the public.

With respect to Safeway, I, along with other city leadership, have been meeting with their representatives to address ongoing concerns related to youth behavior in the area. Vandalism in this specific location has been a recent focus of those discussions. We will continue working collaboratively toward a meaningful resolution and are hopeful Safeway will assist in addressing conditions on their property that contribute to these issues.

Sean McDonagh | Chief of Police
Sebastopol Police Department

Swindell was enormously relieved. He immediately responded to the chief in an email, thanking him and commending the Sebastopol Police’s “swift response to this offensive and cowardly act of racist intimidation in our downtown area.”

McDonagh replied, “Please know that I have a zero-tolerance policy for this type of conduct and crime in our city and will throw the full force of the law at every incident of crime where I’m able to. I encourage our citizens to report anything they see, as it takes a village and a collaborative approach to provide good quality public safety.”

“That’s what this is about—everyone stepping up and doing their job,” Swindell said. “And it’s collectively—instead of being isolated or afraid or overwhelmed—to realize that these racists, they’re a minority…and they don’t represent the values of this country or Sebastopol.”

We reached out to Swindell’s niece for comment, but she’s in the middle of finals. This is a developing story. If you have more information, please contact sebastopoltimes@gmail.com.

Racist graffiti on the utility box behind Safeway.

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