Protesters Damage Trump Merchandise Store In Vernon

VERNON, CT — A pair of what appeared to be political protesters damaged the Donald Trump merchandise store on Route 30 in Vernon Sunday.

The "New England for Trump" store at 154 Talcottville Road opened during the first week of August. Proprietor Ken Krajewski said that, at 2 p.m. Sunday, two people barged into the establishment and began spraying "some sort of chemical" around the place before sprinting out.

No one was hurt, he said.

The two then came back and, during the overnight hours, spray painted graffiti on the exterior. Several references to "fascists," including one that was misspelled, were noticeable on the storefront Monday. A reference to "Nazis" was on one wall and a depiction of a male organ was spray painted under Trump's name.

Krajewski said the protesters were not wearing masks and were front-and-center on surveillance cameras.

"They came in, ran out at 2, then came back overnight," he said. "The were in plain view and it was definitely the same people."

He was busy cleaning up the mess Monday.

"It looks like if can get everything off the building with some cleaner and detergent," he said.

Police said they are actively investigating the incident.

Krajewsky said Monday he is remaining upbeat. By early afternoon, flags covered the graffiti he could not immediately remove or paint over.

"We've had almost 10,000 people in here since we opened in August, so I don't see a little graffiti stopping us," he said.