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Crime, Law and Justice
Cari Spencer

Rochester Police seek help identifying vandals behind racist graffiti at state representative’s home

A black and white photo of a person
The Rochester Police Department shared images of the suspects from a security camera. They're urging anyone who recognizes them to contact police at (507) 328-6800.
Courtesy image

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The Rochester Police Department said it needs help identifying vandals who spray-painted Rep. Kim Hicks’ home with racist graffiti earlier this month. 

The police department shared suspect photos on Facebook, which Hicks, DFL-Rochester, confirmed were captured on her security camera. 

The department said the Federal Bureau of Investigation is helping investigate the vandalism, which caused thousands of dollars of property damage. 

Hicks said she woke up on Aug. 3 to find racial slurs and Nazi symbols painted on her house and on political signs in her yard. The state representative is white and lives in a mixed household, with a Black husband and six children.

“I’m really sorry that [the vandalizers are] so afraid of equity and so afraid of a diverse, wonderful, inclusive Minnesota,” Hicks said in an interview with MPR News. “Their fear will not stop us from creating a Minnesota where everybody is valued, everybody is welcomed, and everyone is cared for.”

On Sunday, the Rochester chapter of the NAACP held an anti-hate rally, in the wake of both the racist graffiti and vandalism reported at a synagogue.

The chapter’s president, Walé Elegbede, said in an MPR interview ahead of the rally that “these are not just isolated incidents.” Earlier this year, Rochester police investigated a racial slur that was posted on a pedestrian bridge. 

“I don’t want people to think that ‘oh what happened to the bridge is different than what happened to Kim Hicks.’ The actors may be different, but there’s a general sentiment that it’s okay or some people feel more emboldened,” Elegbede said. “We need to knock that off.”