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Police Investigating Hate Speech, Vandalism at NY Fire Station

March 1, 2022

Plainville Fire Commissioner Andy Rice called the graffiti "very offensive" and said a fire station window was damaged.

By James McClendon

Source syracuse.com

The Plainville fire chief covered up the graffiti after police investigated the incident.

Memphis, N.Y. — A Plainville Fire District commissioner was driving on Plainville Road Saturday morning when he noticed the side of Station 2 had been spray painted with hate speech.

The graffiti, which included anti-Semitic language and the use of the N-word, was littered across the north and east walls of the firehouse, said Andy Rice, one of the Plainville Fire District Commissioners. An anti-Jesus slur was also painted on the wall, he said.

“It’s very offensive,” Rice said. “How could anyone stoop so low? This is a public building used as a home base for volunteers... men and women that dedicate their lives to helping others in their time of need.”

A window above a door on the back of the building was also smashed in, but it did not appear anyone had been inside the fire house, Rice said. There are also no cameras at the fire house, located at 6808 Plainville Rd. in Memphis.

A damaged window was also found at the Plainville fire station.

There were no footprints in the snow around the building, so the vandalism did not happen in the last few days, Rice said. He said that made it hard to tell exactly how many people were involved. A winter storm dropped inches of snow over much of Central New York over the last few days.

The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office was called to investigate the vandalism. It is still in the preliminary stages, said Sgt. Kathrine Loveland, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.

Fire chief Jeff Proper said after deputies left the fire house, he spent about an hour covering up the graffiti with red paint.

“I think it’s kids playing a dumb prank,” he said. “We are going to pursue this.”

Proper said he would like to have the people involved in the vandalism repaint the entire firehouse.

The Plainville Fire Department has 23 volunteer firefighters.

The sheriff’s office asks anyone with information about the vandalism to contact them through their tip line.

Staff writer James McClendon covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? Reach him at 914-204-2815 or [email protected].