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A member of the Fairfield Board of Education reported that there was graffiti spray-painted on a sidewalk outside McKinley Elementary School on Thompson Street at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 13.
Upon police arrival, officers said they found the words “UNITED STATES OF CHINA” spray-painted on the sidewalk outside the school, and the same phrase was also painted outside a snow mount in the back of the building.
Police said that before officers’ arrival, school officials had previously removed other graffiti after finding a message that read “BIDEN FOR SOCIALISM” outside the school.
While investigating the vandalism at the school, police were alerted to additional messages that were spray-painted in a similar fashion in various locations outside the TJ Maxx building at the Tunnix Hill Cutoff.
According to investigators, “those messages were of similar content of those found at McKinley School. It should also be noted that these two vandalized locations are geographically in close proximity to one another.”
In a statement to the community, the Fairfield Police Department said that the graffiti “has caused a great deal of alarm, and varying levels of concern for many living within the community,” and is being investigated as acts of vandalism.
“With that in mind police have been working diligently to identify the responsible individual(s)," Fairfield Police said. "Along with our community, we too are disturbed by these actions.
“There is no tolerance for acts of hate in our community.”
The investigation into the vandalism is ongoing. Anyone with information has been asked to contact investigators at the Fairfield Police Department Detective Bureau by calling (203) 254-4840 or submitting an anonymous tip by texting “FPD” plus your tip information to CRIMES (274637 with the “FPD” keyword in the text message.
“There is no tolerance for hate in our community and we stand by that statement,” police officials said. “In such a politically divided time, it is important to understand the difference between exercising your constitutionally protected right of freedom of speech and those acts that constitute criminal activity such as vandalism fueled by one’s personal beliefs.”
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