Flossmoor police say they found and covered up graffiti depicting racial slurs in two parts of town early Friday morning.
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Police responded about 5:30 a.m., to a report of graffiti painted on a wall near the pedestrian entrance of the Flossmoor Metra station. Two hours later, they were called to Leavitt Park, where similarly “racial and discriminatory” graffiti was found on a sculpture, according to a Flossmoor police news release.
Flossmoor police said in both instances the graffiti was covered by public works staff Friday. Police say they are investigating the graffiti in an attempt to identify those responsible.
“There is no room for intolerance or hatred within our community, and as a department, we will continue to work towards identifying and holding those responsible for this unacceptable offense,” police Chief Carl Estelle said in the release.
Leavitt Park was the target of vandalism twice in November, costing the village thousands in repairs. Two park signs and a memorial tree were damaged, with the bottom half of one sign broken off and the other kicked down, splitting it in half.
The park, at 1010 Leavitt Ave., is near Parker Junior High School and includes a garden, gazebo, playground, sculpture park, ballfield and playfield.
Mayor Michelle Nelson thanked the village’s Police and Public Works departments for quickly finding and covering up the racial slurs.
“The Village of Flossmoor prides itself on being a welcoming, diverse and inclusive community; sadly, even we are not immune to hateful incidents such as these,” Nelson said in a release, saying she wanted “to assure our residents that the Village takes these incidents seriously.”
Police asked anyone with information about the graffiti to call them at 708-957-4500.