Racist message spray-painted on fence in historic South Jersey town under investigation as hate crime
LAWNSIDE, N.J. (CBS) -- It was last Thursday when Dawn Hines got a call from her neighbor, telling her that someone had vandalized her fence in Lawnside, New Jersey. But Hines was shocked when she saw a photo the neighbor sent of the graffiti.
"I was like, 'That's not just graffiti, that's a hate crime,'" Hines said. "I've been here for 20 years. I've never had anything like this happen to me."
The hateful message was spread across her fence, which faces busy Evesham Avenue running through town. It was a devastating blow to the predominantly Black town, which holds the mantle as the first self-governing African-American municipality north of the Mason-Dixon line.
"This township is predominantly Black," Hines said. "We have the Peter Mott house here. The underground railroad ran through here."
Hines's neighbor, Mark Jay, has lived in Lawnside all his life. The retired police officer says while he can remember some instances of racism he experienced while growing up, nothing like this has happened anytime recently.
"That was a while ago. Since then, I can't recall anything of that magnitude that I know about," Jay said.
Hines said the borough acted quickly to remove the message from her fence. But the stains and scars from the hate-filled message remain. Lawnside police were at Hines's home Monday to check out her yard and speak with her inside her home. Hines said she believes law enforcement is taking the case very seriously.
Hines said she does have cameras behind her home, but she wasn't sure what they'd show on the other side of the fence, where the message was painted. She confirmed prosecutors have that video.
Jay says he thinks an incident like this will likely have people on alert for a while.
"Sadly we're living in some tough times right now. And so does the possibility exist it could happen again? I'd be naïve if I said it couldn't happen again," Jay said.
Still, Jay and Hines believe this incident has brought an already tight-knit community even closer together. On Monday, when CBS News Philadelphia spoke with Hines, she was surrounded by family and friends, all there to lend support.
Hines said she's even had a few pressure washing companies reach out, offering to clean the fence for free. She believes that coming together sends a powerful message during a trying time.
"I'm here. I still have love in my heart. Even though something like that was done to me, I still love everybody," Hines said. "Love is winning, not hate."
Lawnside police did not give a statement on Monday but did confirm to CBS News Philadelphia that they are investigating the incident as a hate crime. They say their investigation is ongoing.