Police investigating antisemitic graffiti found near former state school in Laconia

CALLED OUT A SPECIFIC MEMBER OF LACONIA’S JEWISH COMMUNITY. ON SUNDAY, POLICE WERE NOTIFIED OF HATEFUL MESSAGES AND SYMBOLS SPRAY PAINTED ON AN ABANDONED BUILDING IN WATER TOWER ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE FORMER LACONIA STATE SCHOOL. THE BUILDING HAS BEEN CLOSED FOR DECADES, BUT THE GROUNDS ARE STILL MAINTAINED BY THE STATE, NOT THE CITY, AND REMAINS A HOTSPOT FOR PEOPLE TO GO ON A WALK OR RUN. IT’S VERY REMOTE, BUT IT IS USED THE THE TRAILS THAT RUN THROUGH THERE, THE ROADS THAT RUN THROUGH THERE. IT’S NOT UNCOMMON FOR PEOPLE TO BE OUT THERE RUNNING AND WALKING AND JUST ENJOYING THE THE OUTDOORS. THE VANDALISM AND FORTUNATELY, NOT NEW TO THE COMMUNITY. ACCORDING TO CITY MANAGER KIRK BEARDY, WHO SAYS SIMILAR GRAFFITI WAS FOUND IN THE CITY LAST YEAR. BUT THIS TIME THE MESSAGES WERE TAKEN TO ANOTHER LEVEL. THE DIFFERENCE THIS TIME NOW IS THE WHAT WAS ACTUALLY WRITTEN ON THERE WAS CALLING OUT A MEMBER OF THE LACONIA JEWISH COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS WHAT APPEARED TO BE LINKS THAT WOULD THAT WOULD DRAW SOMEONE TO THE TYPES OF SITES THAT WOULD PROMOTE THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY. THE POLICE AND CITY SAY IT’S SOMETHING THEY’RE TAKING SERIOUSLY AND THAT MESSAGES LIKE THESE DO NOT REFLECT THE FEELINGS OF THE COMMUNITY. THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE TOLERATED IN LACONIA. WE’RE NOT GOING TO ALLOW THIS. BEARDY SAYS IT’S STILL FAR TOO EARLY IN THE INVESTIGATION TO TELL IF THE PERSON BEHIND THE SPRAY PAINT WAS A LOCAL OR PART OF A LARGER HATE GROUP. WE’LL WORK WITH THEM. VERY HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WE TRY TO FIND OUT WHO DID THIS AND PROSECUTE THEM WHEN WE GET TO THAT POINT. THE AG’S OFFICE AND THE FBI ARE ALSO ASSISTING IN THE