When a Washington family was away on a camping trip, vandals defaced their home and truck by spray painting hateful messages using vulgar language and racial slurs.
After neighbors saw what had happened to the family’s home, they knew they had to do something about it.
“It made me want to cry when I saw it,” neighbor Heidi Russell told KHOU.
Vandals had left cruel messages on the family’s house and truck, including the N-word and the letters “KKK.”
Russell, with the help of some other neighbors, decided they were going to take care of the problem before the family returned home.
“Our biggest concern was getting this done before the family came home because they have small children and we didn’t want them to see their truck or their home vandalized,” Russell said.
Volunteers from the neighborhood all got together to scrub the graffiti off the house and repaint.
Even a local police officer showed up while still on duty to help out.
“I’m here to protect and serve,” Officer Wilson said. “It aggravates me when this happens. I’m here to make it right.”
When homeowner Marvin Phillips arrived back home with his family, his property looked as though it had never been altered.
“I’m overwhelmed and I’m shocked,” Phillips said. “When I heard what happened, I was hurt. I don’t know who did this. I was more concerned about the kids.”
Thanks to the kindness of the neighbors, Phillips and his children were able to return home to a loving community greeting them, rather than hateful messages.
Sources: KHOU, KOMO / Photo Credit: KOMO
Tags: Racial Slurs, Vandalism, Washington, Community Helps Neighbors
