SALEM — Mayor Kimberley Driscoll and Police Chief Lucas Miller have condemned an incident this week in which a swastika sticker was discovered on one of the city’s fire alarm boxes.
According to Miller, police received a report that a large sticker bearing a swastika and threatening language had been placed on a box on Essex Street Tuesday between the Salem Public Library and downtown.
“The City strongly condemns this heinous act,” Driscoll and Miller said in a joint statement. “This incident is evidence that no community, even one as welcoming as Salem, is immune from hatred.
“We must remain ever vigilant in denouncing these acts and in supporting efforts to combat bigotry and hatred.”
Miller said the department is taking the incident seriously and is conducting a “robust” investigation to determine the culprits.
Anyone with information about the incident, or anyone who may have been in the area at the time the sticker was placed and witnessed suspicious activity, is asked to contact the police department at 978-744-1212.
Police are asking that individuals who identify any offensive or dangerous graffiti around the city, including stickers, contact the police department immediately to report it.
Those who come across offensive graffiti are instructed not to remove it until police can suitably document it. Police or the Department of Public Works will remove all graffiti after documentation.
“In Salem, we strive to be an inclusive community and to educate and advocate with others to this important goal,” Driscoll and Miller said. “We must be tireless in our efforts to bridge our differences and continue to support each other within the diverse community that we are all fortunate enough to call home.”
