Volunteers and local residents came together Saturday morning to clean up vandalism and graffiti at a Tenino area home. The organized work party was able to clean up and paint over the racial slurs before the family arrived home from vacation.
Citizens of Tenino banded together Saturday morning in a show of solidarity and support, after a Tenino family home was found vandalized — with apparently racist graffiti — while the family was on vacation.
The alleged vandals appeared to have written phrases such as "KKK," "die," and other racial slurs in black spray paint on the siding of the home. Similar words and phrases, in orange spray paint, also appeared on a vehicle that had been parked in the driveway of the residence.
The family was reportedly informed of the damage to the home after local law enforcement authorities contacted them by phone.
Posts by local residents and by the TCYFL Youth Football & Cheerleaders page on Facebook page rallied the community into action.
Nearly two dozen Tenino residents showed up, along with local law enforcement and medics. Fellow Lewis and Thurston County residents offered to donate funds towards exterior home paint and other supplies. Auto body professionals commented with advice on how to remove the orange spray painted "KKK" off of the truck in the driveway.
By mid afternoon on Saturday, photos began to appear on Facebook showing community members painting, cleaning and scrubbing at the vandalized residence.
Mayor Wayne Fournier thanked those who attended the cleanup on Facebook later Saturday afternoon.
"Thank you Heidi Russell, Marisa Noonan (Rota), Kathryn Akeah, Kristi Burke, Lori Seaunier, Michael J Vanderhoof, David Watterson, Marlena Mulkins, K Diane Dolstad and anyone else who came out this morning and cleaned this up, the place looks as good as new within about 24 hours and the family won't have to come home to hate," Fournier stated in the comments.
"This — the people coming out to help clean up — this is my Tenino. Not the hate crap that was thrown up like bile. The community, the camaraderie, the working together to wipe out hate ... that's what Tenino is about," replied volunteer Marlena Mulkins.
You can view additional photos of the cleanup efforts here: https://www.facebook.com/heidi.russell.14/media_set?set=a.1205645302800728&type=3&comment_id=1205649479466977¬if_t=comment_mention¬if_id=1471733849921871
