Salem Racist Graffiti Carved Into Freshly Poured Sidewalk

SALEM, MA — Two Salem juveniles are facing felony vandalism charges after racist graffiti was found in an area of freshly poured cement sidewalk on Jefferson Avenue on Wednesday night.

A disturbed reader alerted Patch of the racial epithet on Thursday morning that was scraped into the cement near the corner with Willson Street. Later in the day, Salem police said an investigation into the incident identified two juvenile suspects — whose names were not revealed because of their age.

Police said the two juveniles will not be charged with a hate crime but will face the felony vandalism charges.

"In view of the totality of the circumstances — the identities of the suspects, the cooperation of
their families, and the interviews conducted, it was decided that a Hate Crime designation would
not be appropriate," police said.

Dan Welch told Patch that he and his wife were walking down the street Wednesday night when "the very kind of thing you might curl your lip at snarled up at us" as they noticed the writing on the new sidewalk.

"Hate crime or highjinx?" Welch told Patch. " Doesn't really matter. We shook our heads and walked on, worrying what our students who walk this way — and so many others who do so — might think and feel.

"And vowing, as much as ever, to keep being who we are, and teaching and speaking out about the truth, about a new world that is possible."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)