Coronado police identified a juvenile suspect who admitted involvement in hateful chalk graffiti found near a children's playground at Silver Strand military housing, the department said Wednesday, Sept. 30.
The graffiti included swastikas, "KKK" symbols and racial slurs, according to the Coronado Times, which first reported the story. Residents told the paper the markings have appeared at playgrounds in the housing community for about two years, escalating from every few months to weekly occurrences.
Ryan Brennan with the Coronado Police Department said an off-duty department member spotted a social media post on Sunday, Sept. 27, showing the chalk markings on a sidewalk in the Strand Housing area. A patrol officer was dispatched and found the site near a playground, though the markings had already been cleaned.
The department's Investigations Unit classified the case as a hate incident and began investigating immediately. By Tuesday, Sept. 29, investigators had identified a primary suspect.
The suspect, a juvenile, admitted to involvement in the incident, according to the department. Because the suspect is a juvenile, police said no further information about the suspect's identity or any actions taken would be released. The investigation remains ongoing.
Two residents, both of whom asked to remain anonymous because of concerns about how public criticism could affect their active-duty spouses, described a pattern of hate messages in the military housing community. One resident, a person of color living with her Navy husband and children, told the Coronado Times she had seen the individuals writing the slurs at a park.
"I've seen the boys, and we've been to housing numerous times," she said. "They've told us to go to the boys' houses and handle it ourselves, but no one is willing to give an address where they live."
Filing an official complaint with the housing management required submitting the name and address of the person being complained about, a barrier when no one could identify the vandals.
Daniel Turkin, regional vice president of Liberty Military Housing, which manages Silver Strand housing under the Navy's public-private venture program, said in a statement that the company has a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech. Turkin said Liberty's lease agreement prohibits offensive material, and violations can result in eviction.
Liberty notified Silver Strand residents by email on Sept. 1, nearly a month before the police investigation, asking anyone with information to contact the district office at 619-435-2933. The company said it is working with Naval Base Coronado leadership on the matter.
The CPD Investigations Unit can be reached at 619-522-7364 for anyone with information about the hate messages.
