Swastika, 'White Power' Graffiti Found In Bellevue

BELLEVUE, WA - A Bellevue resident discovered hate-speech graffiti scrawled on a street sign last Thursday, according to Bellevue police. This is at least the third time since August hateful graffiti has been found around Bellevue.

Last Thursday, a citizen called police to report that "white power" and several swastikas were written in marker on a sign near Sammamish High School. The responding officer took note of the graffiti, but wiped it off the sign. The graffiti was found around 5:30 p.m., according to police.

In mid-September, homeowner Carrie Lang came home on a Sunday afternoon to find "KKK" written on the driveway of her Newport Hills home. Lang believed the graffiti was put there because of several pro-Muslim, pro-gay, and anti-racist signs outside her home. Bellevue police were investigating that graffiti incident under the state's malicious harassment law.

On Aug. 18, officers responded to a bus stop at the intersection of 100th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 8th Street and found three swastikas spray-painted on the sidewalk.

After the September incident, Bellevue police spokesman Seth Tyler told Patch he was not aware of any other recent hate speech discoveries.

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