The Boise community is continuing to rally around the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights after the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial was defaced with racist and anti-Semitic acts of vandalism multiple times last week.
State lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, are condemning the crime.
In a statement, leadership from the House and Senate said this type of act is “unacceptable” and that it’s “a strike against all Idahoans.”
Boise Sen. Cherie Buckner-Webb issued a call to action this weekend encouraging members of the Idaho Legislature to condemn the vandalism.
"You must not wait for somebody else to stand up,” she said. “We all have a responsibility to stand up to hate and eradicate it in Idaho."
"You always know it's around,” said Boise Rep. Hy Kloc, whose parents were Holocaust survivors. “You always know there's that kind of anti-Semitism and racism and any kind of ism you can think of that people hate each other for. It’s around, but when it comes and raises its ugly head like it did here that's when people have to stand up and say we're not going to tolerate that. And luckily, in this community, they did that."
The executive director of the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights said they've received an outpouring of support from people locally and nationally, including a local woman who donated $20,000 to help repair the memorial.
Boise Police continue to investigate the defacing of two tablets at the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial, discovered Tuesday, and graffiti on a nearby greenbelt tunnel as well as a sign dedicated to Bill Wassmuth, which was found early Thursday morning.
