3 juveniles charged with ethnic intimidation for racist and antisemitic graffiti at Abington playground
The spray-painted racist and antisemitic graffiti was reported on Saturday, police said.
Police announced Thursday that three juveniles have been charged with ethnic intimidation for allegedly spray-painting antisemitic and racist graffiti at a Montgomery County playground.
Last Saturday, Abington Township police received a report of vandalism throughout Weldon playground — also known as the “Cheese” playground for a sculpture that looks like Swiss cheese — at 2239 Parkdale Ave. in the Glenside section of Abington.
“Officers discovered that suspects had spray-painted antisemitic and anti-Black remarks throughout the playground. The nature of the graffiti was particularly disturbing, as it targeted members of our community based on their race and religion,” the police department said on social media.
The investigation led to three juvenile suspects who were identified and charged with ethnic intimidation and criminal mischief, the police said.
No other details were released about the juveniles.
“The Abington Township Police Department takes incidents involving hate and bias seriously,” the department said in a Facebook post. “Acts of vandalism are unacceptable under any circumstances, and hateful messages targeting individuals or groups have no place in our community. Our department remains committed to protecting the safety and dignity of every person in Abington Township.”
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Abington School Board president Melissa Mowry called the act “craven, cowardly, and despicable.”
According to Mowry, the school district owns the playground and partners with civic groups to maintain it as “a public resource where everyone is welcome to smile and laugh together.”
“There is ‘No place for Hate’ of any kind in this community, but especially where all children are invited to play,” she wrote.
Volunteers joined township and school district staff on Saturday morning to remove the graffiti.
Inquirer Greater Abington
