The Huntington Beach Police Department said Tuesday that multiple “Dave Minn for Congress” signs were found vandalized, including one with anti-Asian slurs spray-painted on it. announced the authorities.
Minn’s sign was reported to have been vandalized with offensive language Tuesday morning at Lamar Drive and Newland Street in Huntington Beach, department spokeswoman Jessica Kuchira said.
Photos provided by Minh’s campaign showed several signs defaced with racist slurs against people of Asian descent. Kuchira said the incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
State Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine), the son of Korean immigrants, is running in the 47th Congressional District to fill the seat vacated by Democratic Rep. Katie Porter.
Kuchira said the department responded to a second incident where Minn’s signs were vandalized at Magnolia Street and Mediterranean Drive around 2 p.m. and arrested a suspect, adding that the signs also contained hate speech. He added that he did not know whether that was included.
The suspect, Kevin William Walker, 62, of Fountain Valley, was arrested on suspicion of destroying more than $400 worth of property, authorities said. It is still unclear whether he was involved in the first act of vandalism, Kuchira said.
Min released a statement calling recent displays of anti-Asian hate “sad but not surprising” and coming days after Donald Trump’s rally in Huntington Beach on Saturday. pointed out.
“Unfortunately, we have seen a sharp increase in hatred in recent years due to the xenophobia and racism that have come to characterize Donald Trump’s MAGA movement,” Min said in a statement. “We have all seen and heard President Trump’s anti-Asian comments and racist comments about Haitian immigrants.”
Ming also said Orange County residents are “being bombarded with hits from Scott Baugh and the MAGA Republicans” claiming they support open borders because they are the sons of immigrants.
Bo, a Republican and former California state representative, is running against Min for the 47th District seat. Battleground districts could play a key role in determining which party controls Congress in January. According to California’s Secretary of State, approximately 35% of California residents are registered Republicans and 35% are registered Democrats.
Mr Baugh’s campaign manager, Nick Gerrard, told the Times: “We condemn all acts of vandalism of property, including political signs of candidates for public office.”
“And as Mr. Scott has said repeatedly, there is simply no place for racism of any kind in America,” he added.
Gerrard said if Beau’s camp learns of information about the perpetrators of the vandalism, it will immediately report it to law enforcement. He noted that some of Bo’s billboards had also been vandalized recently.
In comments to the Daily Pilot, Huntington Beach Mayor Gracie Van der Mark said she too had had her own sign vandalized and went on to call Minn a “race baiter” with the seed department. accused of.
