When a symbol of hate and violence remains up on a property what does this say? What can we do about it?

Forward from the writer: In this series “How Come…”we will be looking at issues within our various institutions and systems to bring awareness and start proactive discussions with the aim of bringing much needed positive change. Change we all know is needed even if we don’t know the how. This is not about pitchforking people or parading seeming wrong doers in front of a virtual town hall for embarrassment and shame. Our society has done that for too long with unpleasant results. It’s also not about showing a problem without solutions. We are human and it’s obvious that in the journey of life errors will occur. Some forced, some unintentional. People will need help. The goal here is to create a space for us to look at what we are doing as a society through a particular issue and then, hopefully, bring positive change, with human dignity. Like the good man said, you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one...

“The history of man is the history of crimes, and history can repeat. So information is a defense. Through this we can build, we must build, a defense against repetition.”

Simon Wiesenthal, Holocaust survivor, Baltimore Jewish Times, Feb. 4, 1989

Nearly every time Miriam Hoffman leaves her home she passes the Walgreens on Ventura and Vineland in Studio City, California. While the years of Covid have brought changes to her neighborhood, including the issue of homeless to her doorstep, what she saw on Dec. 20 was a different pressing social issue: there was a swastika on the outdoor parking lot wall.

“I was shocked,” she told me about seeing the Nazi symbol when we spoke.  The casting director and I were catching up on Jan. 4, having known each other since high school. “I can’t believe it’s still up,” she said.

Hoffman sent a message to Walgreens after seeing it. This was two weeks later.

“What was more alarming was the fact that I would think that if someone wrote to alert the company to it, that it would get done right away,” Hoffman said. “Because I would think they wouldn’t want their company associated with that and they would want their customers to feel safe and good as they go into Walgreens.”

Walgreens did not respond to questions but issued the following statement through a media relations spokesperson:

We condemn any form of bigotry, racism and hate.  We have contacted local law enforcement and worked to remove this offensive symbol as quickly as possible. 

Hoffman sent her first message to Walgreens on Dec. 20 and received a fast response. However, when a few days passed and the swastika was still up she sent another message. Again she received a fast response apologizing and indicating action. She went out of town and when she returned in early January she saw it was still there. This continued several more times.

On Jan. 13 Hoffman received a call from a store employee who was looking for the swastika in the parking lot, so she directed them to it. Hoffman thought it would be removed, however a piece of paper was placed over it. This paper remained until she left town on Jan. 19. When she returned on Jan. 23the paper was gone and the swastika as well.

“I was relieved,” she said about finding it gone and repaired. “It should have happened sooner but at least it happened.”

“Antisemitic incidents reached an all-time high in the United States in 2021, with a total of 2,717 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism reported to ADL (the Anti-Defamation League). This represents the highest number of incidents on record since ADL began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979 – an average of more than seven incidents per day and a 34 percent increase year over year. “ – ADL website

“It is vandalism,” said Officer Drake Madison of the LAPD Media Relations Division. I contacted their offices about it and asked him what people should do if they find something like this.

“On private property it’s up to those people to remove it,” Officer Madison said. “However, wherever it is, graffiti should be taken down. It sends a message. There’s a graffiti removal services hotline in Los Angeles. It can come down fast. It’s through 311.”

While Hoffman is relieved it’s no longer up, she told me it’s not the only local incident.  Another swastika was seen on a nearby bus stop and the words ‘Nazi’ and ‘Anarchy’ on an on-ramp to the 101 Freeway.

When I told Madison about this he mentioned Senior Lead Officers. If citizens or a community are concerned about a safety issue these officers in their area can help. They are responsible for certain areas of divisions, so people can get to know their local officers and speak with them about their concerns.

“Antisemitic incidents in the US surged 57% in 2017, the Anti-Defamation League said on Tuesday, the largest year-on-year increase since the Jewish civil rights group began collecting data in 1979.

Close to 2,000 cases of harassment, vandalism and physical assault were recorded, the highest number of antisemitic incidents since 1994, it said.” — The Guardian, February 27, 2018

With a sharp rise in antisemitism since the Trump administration, I sought the Simon Wiesenthal Center for some insight into this incident. They had the following statement:

The Simon Wiesenthal Center thanks Walgreens for removing the swastika etched on its walls, though it should have been done earlier. We especially commend the concerned citizen who reacted to the swastika, and whose activism resulted in the removal of this symbol of hate.

The SWC website shows their current campaign, “Stop the normalizing of antisemitism.”

What does leaving the symbol up for a month do? Much like the officer said about graffiti in general, it sends a message.

However, it is one we have the power to take down. And in some areas of Southern California people can call graffiti removal services to help with that.

Last week held Holocaust Remembrance Day.  We are now in Black History Month. At a time when hate and apathy are rampant, we must remember that so too are kindness and love and progress. It seems timely to heed the warnings and guidance of those who experienced the worst in humanity and worked to make things better:

“There is no denying that Hitler and Stalin are alive today…they are waiting for us to forget, because this is what makes possible the resurrection of these two monsters.” Simon Wiesenthal, 1980

“In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

If you have more information on this story, or want to pitch an idea for this series, conta the writer at leah dot gillis at usaherald dot com