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A Black family says they won't be "intimidated" into moving after a racist message was spray painted on the back of their fence in Mesa, Arizona.
On Sunday (August 20), an unidentified perpetrator graffitied the N-word on a wall behind the home of Morris Whitner and his wife, the Atlanta Black Star reports.
“Unfortunately, racism still exists,” Whitner told local outlets. “I was really disappointed about that.”
Police said they are investigating possible hate crime charges. Investigators seek to determine whether the racist graffiti was directed at the family. There are currently no suspects in the case.
Whitner said he believes his family was targeted because the message was "strictly" on his wall.
"Slur was right at our property. I am the only black person in the neighborhood,” he said.
However, the incident won't stop Whitner from continuing to live in his home of five years.
“I am not going to be intimidated; we are not moving,” he told CBS 5. “Not going anywhere. We are here. We are going to continue to be here. Be good neighbors and live our lives.”
Kiana Sears, president of the East Valley NAACP, spoke out against the incident.
“We are a community that believes in education. We come together to say we support everyone. It doesn’t matter you, your race or ethnicity. So when I hear this, I grieve that a small minority would have such a big effect on how we feel in our community,” Sears said in a statement.
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