Jan 2, 2008 9:41 pm US/Central
Hate Crime Victims Refuse To Take Down Graffiti
ARLINGTON (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
An Arlington couple said they will not cover racial slurs spray painted on their garage two weeks ago.
But some of the neighbors say they have had enough, and they want police to remove the offensive words.
The home has been under construction for the last two years and is still not done.
That's because Broderick Gamble, an African American, is building the house stone by stone in a predominantly White neighborhood.
"I honestly didn't want to go into the New Year with it on there," said Gamble. But, he adds, "I don't feel in my heart right now is the time to take it down. I really don't."
Gamble first discovered the graffiti on December 21, two days after his girlfriend, Silk Littlejohn, was hit in the face with a two-by-four. Police arrested their soon-to-be neighbor, 66-year-old Grace Head, for allegedly committing the hate crime.
Gamble said Littlejohn was not only wounded by the attack, but by the apathy from the neighborhood.
"The community wasn't there when we needed things rectified. So, why should I be responding to their needs at this time? I didn't ask for none of this ignorance," he said.
Two weeks after the crime, the graffiti remains.
The Holtmans live down the block with their five children.
"Everyone knows what happened. They get the drift. They've seen it, heard about it. It needs to be taken off," said neighbor Mary Holtman.
"We understand somebody got hurt and somebody got their feelings hurt, but our kids don't necessarily have to be exposed to it," said Matthew Holtman.
"The police department needs to get it off. It's been long enough," said Mary.
The graffiti violates city code, but police say they have not served Gamble notice because he's already been victimized.
"But at the same time, there's a time and a place to move on," said Arlington Police Lt. Blake Miller. "We want to now have that graffiti removed so it's not sitting there in that community."
The day Gamble found the graffiti, he penned some words of his own.
"In 2008, we will not tolerate this ugliness called hate," he read aloud. "It is time for love and peace. Yet always, always time to teach."
Gable said he wants the words sand-blasted off or he wants completely new doors. Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said he'll make sure the doors are fixed the way the couple wants.
Thursday, the mayor and the NAACP will hold a 10 a.m. news conference with their response to the incident. Later that night, a neighborhood meeting will be held at Wimbish Elementary.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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