Racist Graffiti In Smithfield Prompts Resident Concerns

SMITHFIELD, RI — Racist graffiti found on the Stillwater Scenic Trail in Smithfield last week has sparked the concern of a longtime resident, citing concerns that the town is not publicly speaking up about the incident or doing enough to prevent racist acts.

Kim Ziegelmayer spotted the explicit graffiti while on a walk with a friend Friday, Jan. 15 and her friend said she had seen the graffiti several days earlier on Wednesday.

The graffiti, which said things including "[expletive deleted] George Floyd" and "#BLDM", was deeply disturbing to Ziegelmayer and she immediately reached out to town officials, school district employees, and state senators and representatives in hopes of a response.

Although Ziegelmayer received replies from the school community and Sen. Steve Archambault, she has not heard from a single town council member or the town's two state representatives, and many other officials, including Smithfield police, have not yet publicly condemned the graffiti.

"Every single leader in town needs to speak up publicly and say this is racism, this is wrong, it's unacceptable, and that's not who we are," said Ziegelmayer.

Smithfield Town Manager Randy Rossi sent staff to paint over the graffiti on Friday after being informed of the hate speech, but the paint was temporary and washed off during a rainstorm just hours later. Crews were sent out a second time with a more permanent paint on Sunday morning to cover up the hateful words.

"I didn't want to go into the weekend and have families and people see that kind of hate, that's not what this town is about," said Rossi, who said his actions were on behalf of the town council despite the councillors silence surrounding the issue. "That doesn't mean the situation is covered up, I don't consider it a done deal by any means."

Although Rossi took immediate action, which Ziegelmayer said she is grateful for, she remains concerned about the lack of response from other town and state officials.

"Because my son is mixed race and identifies as black, the sense of threat has increased for me in this town," said Ziegelmayer. "I am going to be more concerned for my child seeing that in my town."

Ziegelmayer said this is not the first racist incident her family has encountered in Smithfield. Her 15-year-old son has experienced many instances during his years of enrollment at Smithfield Public Schools when he was called the "n-word" by fellow students, she said. The administration responded to the hate speech as a form of bullying at the time, said Ziegelmayer, but struggled because there was no specific protocol for racist acts.

"Racism and hatred are everywhere, even in lovely Smithfield," wrote Ziegelmayer in an email to town officials. "I want to believe that the leaders in Smithfield want to and will investigate, address and publicly and repeatedly condemn such racist and hateful speech and behavior as this as soon as any one is aware of it."

Smithfield schools have since created a non-discrimination policy and began participating in ADL's World of Difference program, which helps students recognize bias and embrace diversity. However, to Ziegelmayer's knowledge, the district has yet to institute a zero-tolerance policy.

Ziegelmayer is asking Smithfield town officials, school administrators, and police officers to formally condemn the racist act and publicly reaffirm the town's stance on intolerance, investigate the incident, work to review town laws, rules, and regulations that apply to racism, and use this occurrence as a teachable moment and an opportunity to improve the inclusivity of the school district's curriculum.

"Thank you in advance for any and all efforts you are able to put forth to make Smithfield an even more kind, caring and inclusive community," wrote Ziegelmayer in a follow-up email. "It takes a village."