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Photo courtesy of Diamond Littlejohn.


Littlejohn photographed on Thursday, September 3rd.

A racist slur that was spray painted onto a Stuart resident’s home Thursday may not be the first time the resident and her family has been targeted in the eight months they’ve lived at the Kading Properties apartment complex.

The Stuart Police Department removed the vandalism found on the east side of the townhome located on Adair Street shortly after it was reported Thursday morning, and resident Diamond Littlejohn tells Raccoon Valley Radio that less than two weeks ago she had informed law enforcement and Kading Properties of what appeared to be a stuffed animal monkey that was hanging within the trunk of a tree outside her home, “At that point I was like, I can’t assume anything, you know, because I feel like I’m being overly sensitive, I didn’t know for sure. So I just called the police and asked them to remove it. I actually came outside myself to take it down but it was so dirty and muddy and nasty, I didn’t want to touch it. So I called them and just asked them to remove it and I just left it as that. I didn’t tell anyone else, I didn’t want to cause any trouble, because I feel like a little Black girl in the neighborhood causing problems.”

Littlejohn explains that the situation has escalated as multiple children saw the racist graffiti while waiting for the school bus. Stuart Police Chief Dave Reha says the incident is under investigation, “If anybody knows anything about it, let us know. This isn’t fair, this isn’t okay and obviously somebody knows about it. It’s a small town, people talk, it’ll get out eventually. We’ll figure it out, we usually do, and when that day comes that person will be charged.”

Kading Properties gave a written statement to Raccoon Valley Radio, stating that they are working with the Stuart police to help catch the vandal, and upon learning of the incident they reached out to their Stuart residents and to local authorities. They “stand with Chief Reha in not tolerating acts like these.”