San Diego police are investigating after several letters with hate speech have been placed on cars in the East Village.
NBC 7 observed multiple messages that were folded and placed in clear bags on people’s windshield and knows of them being found on 15th Street, J Street and Island Avenue. They read like a recruitment letter for people to join in harming people, and they also include racial statements and offensive slurs about people’s sexual orientation.
One letter reads, in part, “We have a job for you. Helping us kill white men. It pays real money taken from the American citizen taxpayers.”
The letters attempt to tie the message to businesses in the area. They have the names, addresses and phone numbers of different businesses stamped at the bottom.
One of the organizations named is Family Health Centers of San Diego. It sent NBC 7 the following statement:
“Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD) learned last week that hateful notes in Ziploc bags were left on cars parked in downtown public lots and streets. The notes contained deeply offensive, racist language and listed our organization’s phone number. We received multiple calls from neighbors, patients, and local businesses who recognized the notes were not from us and were shocked that someone would falsely associate our organization with such vile messages. They wanted to make sure we were aware and offered to report any relevant security footage from their businesses.
“We do not know yet who placed the notes, but we have reported the incident to the San Diego Police Department and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. We remain in contact with community partners who have reached out to share helpful information and support law enforcement’s investigation.
“This hate speech is completely unacceptable and stands in direct contrast to our organization’s values. For more than 50 years, FHCSD has provided compassionate, affordable health care to everyone—including behavioral health services that support individuals and families from all backgrounds.
“We encourage anyone who finds one of these notes to report it to the San Diego Police Department.”
NBC 7 has photos of similar messages with the name, number and location of other businesses on it.
People that live, work and frequent the East Village say they are disturbed by the messages.
“When I saw the letters, I just thought it was disgusting. It was mean. It was unnecessary,” business owner Glad Elevado said. “It’s just meant to cause even more division than there is. I do think that San Diego is such a diverse and a pretty loving community, so I’m hoping when people see those messages, they understand it’s fake.”
Elevado also expressed concern that people would falsely associate businesses with hate speech.
“It’s a struggle just keeping a business afloat in San Diego right now, especially with expenses coming up, and I just feel bad for anyone whose businesses that are stamped on those letters,” Elevado said.