Racist, Anti-Semitic Graffiti, Vandalism Found Twice At Yale: PD

NEW HAVEN, CT — Yale police said the first incident was on Sept. 20. And it happened again last Saturday.

In both cases, racist and anti-Semitic language was spray-painted inside the under-construction Kline Science Tower, according to a letter to the Yale University campus community from Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Ronnell A. Higgins.

In the letter Higgins explained that in the first incident, racist and anti-Semitic spray-scrawled language and symbols were found by construction crews on the interior walls of the building which, he said, has been closed off and inaccessible. It was reported to Yale Campus police the next day.

Higgins said that once the Yale Police Department was notified, it "immediately began a criminal investigation." Police, campus facilities staff and the construction company staff worked to "increase security measures, installing additional security cameras, and fortifying the perimeter fencing and access gates to the construction site."

Then, on Oct. 2 just before midnight, those security cameras "recorded several young adults who had scaled the perimeter fencing and broken into the Kline construction site. They vandalized indoor areas of the building and spray-painted anti-Semitic and racist language on interior surfaces."

Higgins said he's "disgusted and angered that these individuals have spread messages of hate and intolerance at this worksite."

The University and Yale police, he said, "are working intently to find those responsible," and have increased patrols on campus.

"This is our community, and we will work tirelessly to protect it.," Higgins said.

It's not clear if the people seen on camera breaking in have been identified.

Yale University President Peter Salovey also sent a letter to the campus community.

"I am outraged by these despicable and cowardly acts of hate, and I am deeply saddened that the crew working on the site, members of our police department, and others within our community who have responded to these incidents had to see such vile messages," he wrote.

In an emailed statement, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said that anti-Semitism "stands in sharp contrast with the values of our community."

“Haven, meaning a place of safety or refuge, isn’t just in our city’s name – it’s a central part of our city’s DNA," he said. "We, as a community, will always welcome individuals of every race, religion, and creed – and reject threats aimed at our friends and neighbors.”

Meanwhile, the Yale Police Department has released the still images from the surveillance camera footage and is asking for the public's help in identifying the four young people who can be clearly seen. call 203-432-4400 if you have information about these individuals or incidents.

Here's the link to view those images provided by Yale police.