Asian Americans in Salt Lake City described themselves as stunned after a member of the Japanese American Citizens League found racist graffiti in the Japanese Tea Garden, reports ABC4.
The garden is part of the city’s International Peace Garden. The vandals did not hit any other area of the garden.
“Racism, small or big, does not get to be decided by the perpetrators and even viewers, said the Asian Link Project, a non-profit said on Instagram. It is sometimes popular preference to do nothing which allows majority it doesn’t affect to compound the problem of racism and ugliness,”
Trey Imamura, co-president of the city’s JACL discovered the graffiti during a recent visit.
“To see this, it was really saddening while it really hit home for me. This is too close for comfort,” says Imamura to ABC4. “Growing up in Rose Park in a very colorful community and then all of a sudden seeing this really hateful statement, it really hit home.”
Police Chief Mike Brown checked in on Imamura after he filed a police report.
The district’s councilperson condemned the action to Fox13 Now.
“As a Hispanic man, and a minority as well, I find this crime to be particularly offensive,” Faris said. “District 2 is a diverse community, and there is no room for hate like this. I stand with our Asian community and firmly denounce this vandalism.”
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Salt Lake City Police at (801) 799-3000.
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