ST. PETERSBURG – Anti-Semitic and hate-speech graffiti was left on the sidewalk outside of the King of Peace Metropolitan Community Church in St. Petersburg Nov. 14.
The graffiti consisted of large swastikas, along with the letters MAGA and the number 1488, according to St. Petersburg Police Department spokesperson Yolanda Fernadez.
“It was done in chalk on the sidewalk so it was easily removed, so there wasn’t any permanent physical damage,” Fernadez says. “Normally in cases of graffiti we call the city out if it’s paint, or spray paint, on the side of a building so we can have it removed but in this case it was easily cleaned away.”
The graffiti extended from the church to the sidewalk in front of several businesses and was also found on the sidewalk in front of an apartment complex, according to Fernadez. The two incidents were documented under the umbrella of the same investigation.
The police are not speculating as to the meaning of the numbers or the letters that were included in the graffiti until further investigation is complete.
The letters MAGA have been seen on social media over the past year as shorthand for “Make America Great Again,” the campaign slogan for president-elect Donald Trump.
The number 1488 is a combination of two popular white supremacist numeric symbols, according to the Anti-Defamation League website. The number 14 symbolizes the 14 words of the slogan “we must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children,” and the number 88 stands for “Heil Hitler,” H being the eighth letter of the alphabet.
“We have our officers checking the area for other graffiti and other symbols and just keeping an eye on things,” Fernadez says. “There have not been any other threats and no damage left so at this point we are just watching the area.”
Photo courtesy of John M. Desmond.
