CENTER LINE (WWJ) – Officials in Centerline are vowing to find the culprit after racist and homophobic graffiti was painted on private and public city property.
Center Line City Manager Dennis Champine says the black and orange graffiti, which contained racist and homophobic slurs as well as lewd drawings, was found on the private fences of at least three homes on Potomac Avenue.
Similar graffiti was also found on the city’s sound barrier wall along the I-696 Service Drive, Champine said.
A suspect or suspects “spray painted phallic symbols, racist and homophobic words on both private fencing and public property,” a press release from the city said.
"There are some really lewd drawings of penises and then there are words that are very offensive to both the Black community and LGBT," Champine said.
Champine said investigators may have leads on the culprit, but he could not go into details.
While the city has not yet received formal complaints from any residents impacted, Champine said he filed one on behalf of the city.
“There are people in our community who take offense to that,” Champine told WWJ’s Sandra McNeill. “And some of those people include myself and the mayor and other people in the community who want our community to be a community of tolerance and acceptance of all.”
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Mayor Bob Binson said in a press release he was “disappointed and angered” and officials will prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law.
“This is not who we are, therefore, I have requested a full investigation by the Public Safety hoping that we can identify the offenders and send a very clear message that this behavior will not be tolerated by the city or the community as a whole,” Binson said, per the press release.
The Center Line Department of Public Works is removing all the offensive graffiti by painting over, cleaning and sandblasting, officials said. Champine believes the graffiti may have been up for about a week before it was removed.
“We want residents, businesses and visitors to know that the Center Line is a diverse, equitable and inclusive community, which has always been one of the great things about our small town. Hate by those who do not accept people for who they are or what they stand for will not be tolerated in Center Line,” Champine said.
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