Racist and anti-Semitic graffiti prompts local leaders to speak out

Community leaders of all faiths joining together to say they will not tolerate hate after two separate instances of anti-Semitic and bigoted graffiti pop up in Rhode island in a matter of days.

On Wednesday more than a dozen gathered for a press conference at Stebbins Field in Cranston where the latest graffiti was discovered.

"Our message today is that we must fight against the darkness of simmering anger and malice by encouraging understanding, healing,” said Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser of Temple Sinai in Cranston.

On Monday hateful messages including the letters of the KKK and swastikas were found spray painted on the pavement at Cranston Stadium.

"I am a citizen of Rhode Island, I am a resident of Cranston and I am particularly sickened and saddened by what I saw written here at Cranston Stadium,” said Providence NAACP President Jim Vincent.

The hate tags were found just days after a swastika was painted on a synagogue in Pawtucket.

 Police do not believe the cases are linked.

Chief Michael Winquist saying they have reason to believe middle schoolers might be behind the Cranston graffiti.

"We believe that there are factions of young individuals that hang out in certain cliques if you will and that one clique offended the other particular group and this may be the result of what you see behind me,” said Col. Winquist.

This is far from the first time that we’ve seen this type of vandalism in Rhode Island.

In October racist fliers supporting the KKK were distributed in Providence and in February of 2015racial slurs were painted on the Islamic School in West Warwick.

Cranston police say they are working with a school resource officer.

Their intention is to prosecute this as a hate crime.

(C) WLNE 2016