Day After Election, White Supremacy Graffiti Pops Up on New York Dugout

On Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the results of the 2016 presidential election, some alarming graffiti has appeared on a baseball field in Western New York.

According to the Wellsville Daily Reporter, a swastika was spray-painted on the back of a team dugout in the city. A man walking his dog found the graffiti and called the newspaper. Along with the swastika, the words, “Make America White Again,” were scrawled beside it, a reference to president-elect Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.

According to the Daily Reporter, the image is on a privately owned field and Wellsville Village Police have no cause for action unless someone files a complaint.

“We’ll take a look at it, we might do a log entry. Unless somebody makes a complaint, we don’t have any cause for action,” said Police Chief Tim O’Grady. “It’s vandalism, we’ll look into it.”

Trump months ago drew criticism in the campaign for not immediately denouncing verbal endorsements of the KKK and former leader David Duke. One week before the election, the group officially endorsed the candidate in their newspaper. Trump quickly denounced that official statement.

A former teacher in the village expressed concern that the racist imagery might be just a precursor of more to come if groups like the KKK feel empowered under a Trump White House.

“I spent the first two years of my teaching career in this village,” Mrs. Schmiedel, a band teacher, wrote on Facebook. “The town is very close to where I grew up. My husband graduated from high school here. This type of action is exactly the kind of thing that I stayed up all night worrying about. Today I am sad and afraid for the future of our children.”