FAIRFIELD, CT — Earlier this month, antisemitic, racist and homophobic graffiti was spray-painted at Sandcastle Playground on South Benson Road in Fairfield, one of two recent acts of vandalism under investigation by Fairfield.
Crews quickly cleaned up the scrawled vulgarities soon after their discovery on Oct. 14.
“At the playground, officers located expletives written in black spray paint,” Fairfield Police Lt. Edward Nook told Patch in a statement. “These expletives were against the African American, LGBTQ+, and the Jewish community, with an additional picture of male genitalia.”
In addition to the playground incident, two homes under construction on nearby Benson Place were also vandalized, which included paint “poured onto the countertops, walls, flooring, and appliances inside of the homes.” The vandalized homes were discovered on Oct. 13.
“Local neighborhood surveillance cameras were checked, and paint cans found in the area were collected as evidence and sent to the state lab for analysis,” Nook said, adding that the investigations are continuing, pending lab results.
Since the brutal Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, incidents of antisemitism have been on the rise across the country and around the world, though Fairfield police have not received additional reports of antisemitism or bigotry since the Oct. 14 discovery.
“The Fairfield police takes these matters seriously and will investigate to the fullest extent of the law,” Nook said. “Anyone who has additional information on this case is asked to call the Fairfield Police Department Detective Bureau at (203) 254-4840.”