Swastika Burned Into Black Woman’s Lawn

MERCED - A woman in North Merced discovered in the center of her lawn a four-foot swastika burned with some sort of chemical.

"I just can't believe this," 69-year-old Francis Martin, who is black, said Thursday. "They don't want me here. To me, these are hate messages. That's what I get out of it."

Merced Police Department investigators are deeming it a hate crime. The vandalism, a misdemeanor, carries a penalty of up to a year in jail or up to a $5,000 fine or both, Cmdr. Floyd Higdon said.

He hasn't seen a hate crime case since arriving at the department a couple of years ago. An officer in the records division couldn't remember any recent hate crimes in the city.

Martin moved from Atwater into a home off East Yosemite Avenue this month because she will spend the next year caring for her granddaughter.

Martin's daughter will fly to Iraq next week with the U.S. Army for a 400-day tour.

She said she's seen other black residents in the area and has found her immediate neighbors friendly.

http://www.modbee.com/1618/story/713852.html?storylink=omni_popular

A thousand bucks sez swastika asshole never served a day in the military.

Whoever did this is total coward.

It seemingly never ends!

Has it always been like this and I never noticed?

When I saw the headline I thought it might be Redding, but no, it's somewhere else in the valley today. :banghead:

Well, if they catch the perpetrator, there should be no mercy.

:kick: