Evanston Man: Anti-Immigration Graffiti "Not About Hate"

By aaroncynic in News on Nov 8, 2011 7:40PM

An Evanston man has been charged with six counts of criminal defacement of property in relation to anti-immigration graffiti found on the north side of the city over the past few weeks. Police found Daniel Schwartz tagging a wall near a previous site he had vandalized and after evading them temporarily, apprehended him when he returned to his parked vehicle.

The graffiti has garnered extra attention from police in the past few weeks because of its frequency. Evanston police even recruited a crime analyst to monitor the case. The Daily Northwestern reported Evanston Alderman Ann Rainey said of the graffiti in a recent council meeting, “The time has come where we take it more seriously. It’s a constantly recurring vandalism, and it’s a constant in our budget.”

Schwartz told reporters in a phone interview that his statements were "It's not about hate," he said. "It's just about concerns for the country. There's no hate." Schwartz is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 21.

Correction: The headline and a quote were changed to reflect what was actually said by Schwartz. We deeply regret the error.