A Black-owned business in South Dakota has become the target of racist graffiti, including a swastika and phrase of “white power” spray-painted on the establishment.
Beth Shaw, who owns a toy store in Sioux Falls with her husband Jerry, returned to her business on Jan. 9 to discover the hateful markings covering the back of the building. She recalled messages that ranged from general threats toward Black people to a swastika and mentions of the Ku Klux Klan.
Shaw told local news outlet Keloland about the shocking discovery. She stated her “disappointment” with intra-city relations that may have led to the racist graffiti.
“I feel disappointment in how things are going in the city that I love,” shared Shaw. “I don’t understand how anyone can not care or be so vile as to what they’re gonna do because of the pigmentation in someone’s skin.”
Her husband Jerry, expressed similar concerns about the state of their local community. He also agreed that tolerance and equality has declined over the years.
“I’ve lived here for like 16 years and I’ve never seen anything like this before,” he explained. “It’s changed a lot and it’s not changing for the better.”
The business owner added, “Being black, a lot of people don’t understand, sometimes you feel like just being black is a crime in itself. People just look at you and say you’re up to no good.”
Their concerns continue to loom as the Sioux Falls police have yet to make an arrest for the hate crime. A spokesperson for the department also confirmed that no suspects are under investigation at the time. The mall where the store is located did note that this racist graffiti was unacceptable at their property. They also swiftly had it removed.
According to Data USA, Black people account for 6.74% of Sioux Falls’ 193,401 population, as of 2022. The local NAACP chapter called upon local business leaders, as well as the city’s mayor Paul TenHaken, to rise up against the growing hatred against its Black community.
They encourage them to “do more” to fight against injustice as discriminatory acts, including other incidences of harassment and verbal threats, begin to plague the area.
“This community has also allowed and really not fought against or not battled against the spirit of racism and the spirit of hatred,” shared the chapter’s president Julian Beaudion. “As the NAACP, we call on not just the community overall, but we call on business leaders. We call on black business leaders, prominent black business leaders in this community to do more, to say more.”
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