Arlington Officials Respond To Bias-Motivated Incidents, Hate Speech

ARLINGTON, MA – Arlington police, town officials, human services agencies, public schools, and human rights groups have announced they are joining forces in response to a recent uptick in “deeply disturbing” bias-motivated and hate speech incidents in Town.

The announcement was made by Chief Juliann Flaherty on the official news blog for the Arlington Police Department Tuesday afternoon.

Arlington Police Chief Flaherty, Schools Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Homan, Director of Health and Human Services Christine Bongiorno, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Jill Harvey, and the co-chairs of the Arlington Human Rights Commission and the Arlington Rainbow Commission met and are today responding to the increase in hateful, bias-motivated acts.

“These acts have included the theft of tolerance-affirming lawn signs from private residences, [and] multiple instances of hateful graffiti,” said Arlington Police Chief Flaherty in the announcement.

The bias-motivated incidents mentioned include anti-Semitic graffiti scrawled on an Ottoson Middle School bathroom wall, a large banner advertising a hate group hanging over the Arlington side of Route 2, and multiple incidents of homophobic, racist graffiti found throughout the Town, including at Arlington High School last week.

Arlington Police are investigating all reports of hateful graffiti and have removed the hate group’s banner.

“In the Arlington Public Schools, we report all instances of hate speech and discrimination to the Arlington Human Rights Commission, LGBTQIA+ Rainbow Commission and Arlington Police Department,” said Schools Superintendent Dr. Liz Homan in the announcement. “We also inform members of the school community so that we can partner with students and families to create inclusive environments and effectively investigate instances of hate and bias”

The Town and Arlington Police have been in contact with the Anti-Defamation League, and will make further announcements about resources, investigative progress, and town events by these same partner agencies in Arlington.

“Arlington prides itself on coming together in the face of adversity. We meet all challenges as a community, and we are not afraid to call out this kind of hatred and bigotry in our community,” said Town Manager Sandy Pooler in the announcement.

“We will not be intimidated, and we will not sit quietly and allow any resident of Arlington to feel unsafe or unwelcome in our town,” Pooler added.