Police investigate anti-Muslim and antisemitic graffiti in Sebastopol, California

Police in Sebastopol, California, are investigating graffiti targeting Muslim and Jewish communities that appeared on buildings and property downtown early Tuesday, November 3, The Press Democrat reported. The affected sites included walkways outside the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, which was being used as a polling place, Ives Park and nearby businesses.

The vandalism occurred between 11:30 p.m. on November 2 and 6 a.m. on November 3, according to the police account reported by the newspaper. Investigators were trying to identify the person or people responsible. Police said the messages were too inappropriate to publish in their social media announcement.

Police Chief Sean McDonagh told the Sebastopol Times that officers were treating the vandalism as a hate incident and possibly a hate crime. He asked residents with security-camera footage or information about the overnight activity to contact the department. That assessment was not an announcement of charges or a conviction.

Workers and business owners covered or removed much of the graffiti later that day. Poll workers used plastic and floor mats to cover the defaced walkway into the arts center, according to the Sebastopol Times. The Press Democrat reported that the co-owners of The Redwood restaurant removed graffiti from their window and said they would not back down from hate speech.

In a Nov. 4 statement, CAIR's San Francisco Bay Area office condemned the vandalism and expressed solidarity with Sebastopol's Muslim and immigrant communities. Executive Director Zahra Billoo commended the police response and echoed local officials' appeal for security-camera footage or information about suspicious activity.