LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A Henderson man said his home was vandalized with racial slurs and hate symbols this week after he incorporated a political sign into his Halloween decorations.
“Right here he had written racial epithets,” Justin Phelps described the vandalism. “And a racial slur on there and symbol.”
Phelps walked 8 News Now through an experience he said left him feeling deflated.
“For this to happen, it was kind of an eye-opening experience,” he said. “It really kinda hurt.”
He said he and his wife put up their Halloween decorations in their front yard Wednesday, incorporating a ‘Harris-Walz’ political sign.
Phelps told 8 News Now they woke up the following morning to his skeleton decorations, the sign, and his front door defaced.
“On here (the sign) there was a sign that was glued,” he recalled. “There was a sign over it that had the N-word on it.”
Phelps said he then checked his doorbell camera, which recorded a man with a mask and a hoodie committing the crime around 4 a.m., then standing back and taking photos of his work.
“I think as a country we’ve just gotten to a point where we have gotten too supercharged and too emotional,” Phelps said. “To the point where an adult male would come and vandalize another neighbor’s yard.”
He called this act an example of concern, no matter how someone decides to cast their vote.
“I definitely don’t think this is just a one-sided thing,” Phelps added. “I think both sides of the political spectrum, it’s happening.”
He told 8 News Now he hopes to see more kindness and respect shown to everyone.
“That’s what makes America great” Phelps concluded. “We can all have an opinion, we all have a choice.”
Phelps and his wife filed a report with Henderson Police Wednesday afternoon.
8 News Now reached out to HPD and was given the following statement:
“We are actively investigating the matter, and all preliminary information indicates that the incident is politically motivated and not a hate or racially targeted crime.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Henderson Police Department at 702-267-4911 or contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or online to stay anonymous.
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