PHOENIX, Arizona, Dec. 31, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Authorities in Arizona are investigating a possible hate crime after a family’s Hanukkah display was twisted into a swastika early Friday morning.
Naomi Ellis, and her husband, Seth, built the front-yard menorah at the request of their children.
When they awoke Friday morning they found the vandalized display and called police.
“We live in a great neighborhood with kind and welcoming neighbors, ” Ellis wrote in a post on social media. “However, we were greeted with this horrible act of aggression. This clear act of hate and racism is disturbing and sad.”
Officers from the Chandler Police Department took a report on the incident then helped the family remove the swastika before their children woke up.
Their father, Seth Ellis, who built the menorah, said he was shocked by the incident.
“Just waking up to see that first thing is kind of rattling,” Ellis said. “It makes me sad and it makes me feel sick that’s how people look at the world in 2016.”
Since posting their story on Facebook, the Ellis family’s story has gone viral, including an article which appeared in the Washington Post.
Chandler police say they have no suspects in the case. Their investigation is ongoing.
