Minneapolis police investigating anti-Semitic graffiti on school door

Minneapolis police are investigating after anti-Semitic graffiti were scrawled on a door at a southwest Minneapolis elementary school.

The graffiti, which included a swastika and a threatening message that used an ethnic slur, were discovered at Lake Harriet Upper School on Aug. 1. It's not clear how long it had been there; the Minneapolis Police Department report said the graffiti likely went up sometime between July 28 and Aug. 1. Minneapolis Police Sgt. Darcy Horn said the matter is under investigation and declined to provide additional details.

In a statement, Minneapolis Public Schools Superintendent Ed Graff said the district emphatically "condemns the anti-Semitic attack on our schools and community. We are working closely with the Minneapolis Police Department to find out who did this. Our schools should be safe, respectful and welcoming places for all of our students, families and community members. And we stand united against hatred in all its forms."

The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC) also released a statement condemning the swastika and hateful graffiti. This is the 17th anti-Semitic incident reported to the JCRC in 2019, said Steve Hunegs, executive director of the JCRC.

"Perpetrators of these types of incidents are intent on spreading a message of hate and challenging the openness and respectful atmosphere of our community," he said. "Collectively, we must reject these chilling acts and the hate they represent."