MORGAN PARK — The racist graffiti that surfaced near Morgan Park High School last week has been removed, but the uneasiness surrounding the incident remains.
In response, an anti-hate rally is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday in a parking lot in the 11000 block of South Hermosa Drive — on the northwest side of the high school's campus.
Victims, police, residents, several community leaders and area clergy will gather less than a block from where the graffiti was found.
"I'm at a loss. The police are at a loss," Ald. Matthew O'Shea (19th) said Tuesday.
Graffiti was found in six locations, including cars, garage doors and the side of a building within the 10800 and 10900 blocks of South Hermosa Drive and the 11000 block of South Esmond Street. None of the vehicles vandalized were broken into, O'Shea said.
The spray-painted graffiti was done over a two-day span beginning early Friday and ending early on Sunday. Police said they have no leads in the crime O'Shea described as a "special kind of hate."
Several alleys where the graffiti was found have been cleaned up since the incidents. Some street and alley lights also have been repaired, O'Shea said.
The 19th Ward alderman said he's spoken to all six of the victims. All are all doing well.
Julius and Hilda Noble are among the Morgan Park residents whose cars were vandalized by racist graffiti. After the incident, Will Noble posted pictures on Facebook of his father's four-door sedan that been spray-painted and left a description damage.
"My father is African American, and my mother is Puerto Rican. My father is a pastor who has a ministry in Robbins, IL," Will Noble posted on Facebook. "They have already forgiven those who are responsible and they are hopeful that whoever is responsible is found and the message of hate is addressed. We are a loving family and we are thankful for the support from the community we have received during this unfortunate time."
He was also critical of the police response to the incident.
O'Shea stressed the importance of the upcoming rally, adding that a positive response is the best way to combat such an ugly incident. He's also confident that whoever is responsible for the graffiti will be caught.
"Make no mistake about it, there is a lot of manpower involved in this," O'Shea said.
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