Loudoun County residents held a protest and worked to remove hateful and racist vandalism found in South Riding, Virginia, on Sunday.
The vandalism found earlier in the week was “hateful, racist rhetoric” spray painted in a Food Lion parking lot at the South Riding Town Center, according to the Loudoun County Sherriff’s Office and the group Loudoun4All.
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 power washers. What could not be erased was chalked over by children, who wrote “Spread Love Not Hate.”
In a Facebook post, the company thanked the community and said they were “erasing hate.”
Loudoun4All also held a “Hate Has No Home in South Riding” event on Sunday at the shopping center. The event's purpose was to show that the 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 that read, “hate has no home here,” and “stop hate.”
The event was attended by residents of mixed ages and Virginia Delegate Suhas Subramanyam.
“We are showing up and #standingagainsthate with Loudoun4All in solidarity against the racist and antisemitic graffiti sprayed in South Riding this past week,” Subramanyam posted on Facebook. “We will always fight back against these cowardly acts.”
“This is sad but there’s still hate being taught and exercised,” Timbers Landscaping Care LLC wrote.
Loudoun County Commonwealth Attorney Buta Biberaj released a statement on the graffiti.
"Without a doubt, Loudoun County is made better and stronger by the diversity of our residents. This weekend, our community was attacked by individuals who chose to graffiti the South Riding shopping center with vile and hateful markings," Biberaj wrote. "This public display of hate speech is sadly another reminder that there are some who will choose to try and divide our community, or worse threaten our safety. The intentional attack on specific, 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.
