Swastika vandalism in Phoenix triggers investigations and public reactions

Police are asking the public for help in identifying the people who painted swastikas and racist slurs on the sides of several vehicles in a predominantly black and Latino neighborhood in east Phoenix on Juneteenth, while community leaders denounced the vandalism.

On Wednesday evening, numerous vehicles were damaged in the area around 32nd Street and Thomas Road. In addition to a swastika, the N-word and an obscene message were spray-painted on the vehicles.

According to the most recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the neighborhood’s zip code population is 58% Hispanic, 10% Black, and 2% Native American. The Juneteenth holiday is observed to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.

Phoenix police said four separate reports were filed in connection with the incident, but no arrests were made.

Investigators are asking anyone with surveillance footage from the area or other information that may assist in the investigation to call Phoenix police at 602-262-6151. To remain anonymous, call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (480-948-6377) or for Spanish, call 480-TESTIGO (480-837-8446).

Karen Hardin, president of the Maricopa County NAACP branch, expressed her disappointment over the incident.

“It is with great sadness that we see hatred and vandalism spreading throughout our community. These acts of property damage must stop immediately, and this contagious disregard for individual differences is antithetical to our democracy,” Hardin said in a statement Thursday.

Phoenix City Councilwoman Laura Pastor, whose district includes the affected neighborhood, called the vandalism “despicable” in a statement Thursday. “I am disappointed and outraged by this despicable act. These residents were targeted for who they are, and that is unacceptable,” the statement said. “I stand in solidarity with those affected by this abhorrent display of bigotry.” Pastor’s statement said she was “determined to ensure that the perpetrators are held fully accountable. We will not tolerate these acts or allow fear and division to undermine our community.”

The Anti-Defamation League tracked 99 incidents and events of white supremacist propaganda in Arizona in 2023 – an increase from 48 cases the previous year.

Since the beginning of 2024, there have been at least two incidents of white supremacist propaganda in Phoenix, according to the ADL.

Carlos Galindo-Elvira, a current Phoenix City Council member and former Arizona regional director for the ADL, spoke to The Republic about the incident on Thursday.

“The use of a swastika represents hatred and an era in which Jews and others were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust,” Galindo-Elvira said. “The use of the N-word is despicable and can never be normalized.”

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