BOISE, Idaho — After a man walking through a tunnel on the Boise Greenbelt reported profanity and hateful messages directed at several groups spray-painted on a tunnel wall, the Boise Police Dept. is investigating.
The man, using the nickname "Kevin on Earth" on Twitter, said he was walking home from downtown at about 3 a.m. Saturday when he saw the graffiti. In subsequent Twitter posts, he said he planned to go back to the area and paint over the graffiti at around noon, and welcomed others to help.
Later Saturday morning, Boise Parks and Recreation contacted him and said they would coordinate with police and clean up the graffiti.
The vandalism occurred near the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial. Boise Police on Saturday morning said Parks and Recreation staff began cleaning it up as soon as they were notified.
A spokesperson for the Boise Police Department also said graffiti was found in three tunnels.
The Boise Police Department on Twitter posted the following statement from Chief Ryan Lee:
“We recognize the significance of this being the last Saturday of Hanukkah and we are reaching out to Jewish leaders in our community to let them know we will not stand for such hateful and abhorrent behavior in our city.”
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean issued the following statement regarding the incident:
“The antisemitic messages contained in the graffiti found along the Greenbelt put a literal and figurative stain on our community. This will not be tolerated. Hate speech is reprehensible. It is not who are as a city and is not part of our shared values. I invite all good people of Boise to stand with me, as I stand with our Jewish neighbors, to rebuke this hate.”
Boise Police ask anyone with information about the graffiti to contact police at the non-emergency dispatch number at 208-377-6790 or submit a tip to Crime Stoppers at 208-343-COPS (2677), the Crime Stoppers website, or by using the P3 Tips app for mobile devices.
This story will be updated as we gather more information and as the Boise Police investigation continues.
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