'I Cried': Swastikas Spray Painted On Home Investigated As Hate Crime
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- A Jewish couple walked out of their home Friday morning to see a swastika spray-painted onto their garage and another on their mailbox after police notified them of the vandalism. Detectives are investigating the case as a hate crime.
"I cried, very severely, I was very upset," said Sandy Wolf.
Wolf and her husband Howard have lived in their home for years and never experienced anything like this in the neighborhood. After going through many emotions all day, they told CBS4 they are determined to fight this kind of intolerance anywhere.
"We cannot permit this in our country, in our society, in our world," said Wolf. "We have to speak out, we cannot be silent."
The couple says while they have never been targeted before because of their religion, they are not surprised it is happening now. They worry the current political climate is fueling these kinds of crimes.
"I think there is a great majority in our country who think it's OK to hate other people and to be quite open of it," said Wolf. "I think that's true for many of our leaders, even our president."
Neither plan to do anything differently but they are shaken up by having this happen at their house.
"Today I am a little nervous but yes I think as times passes, you know, we will I hope feel comfortable in our home again," she said.
The swastikas were especially painful because the couple recently traveled abroad and saw historic sites of concentration camps that affected them deeply.
Wolf says she wore a special Star of David after seeing the graffiti on her house. The necklace comes from a family member that lost many loved ones in Nazi Germany.
Wolf says she has a message for those that did this to her home, they did not win. She also says to anyone else that learns about this case, they should not be intimated and keep speaking out.
"There is simply no room for hatred in our world," said Wolf.
Shawn Chitnis reports on CBS4 This Morning. Email him story ideas at smchitnis@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter or Facebook.