Signs found in Farmington considered racially motivated acts of vandalism
Feb 11, 2022, 2:06 PM
Images of signs found posted on a walking trail. Photo credit:
FARMINGTON, Utah — Farmington police are investigating after nearly a dozen “white lives matter” signs were posted in Farmington Pond Park, near the entrance of the Farmington Canyon Road.
Police were notified about the signs by Amanda Riddle. She was walking in the park when she saw two of the signs on the back of two different road signs.
“At the bottom it said ‘diversity is code for anti-white, stop complaining join us in activism,'” Riddle told KSL NewsRadio.
The other sign read “white nations are safe nations, we are not a melting pot, white lives matter.”
Riddle posted the photos to a community Facebook page, as well as photos of the area where the posters were found.
Location of signs posted to Facebook by Amanda Riddle.
After Riddle contacted officials, Farmington police said they went to the park and found eight more signs.
“Is this an individual? Or is this the group that is on the message on the signage that was posted, we don’t know yet,” said Investigations Sergeant for the Farmington Police Department, Brian Cooper.
#BREAKING #Farmington Police say they’re investigating TEN “White Lives Matter” signs posted around Farmington Pond Park. They don’t know yet if it was an individual or organized group. Photos were printed on sticker paper, “this took some work.” – PD. More on @kslnewsradio 2day. pic.twitter.com/i1SbzNISQ3
— Lindsay Aerts (@LindsayOnAir) February 11, 2022
“I do know, from the Anti-Defamation League, that it’s categorized as a loose movement and is comprised of these fringe racist groups,” Cooper said. He does not know if the group is located in Utah, or whether the signs were simply printed from the Internet by a single person interested in the group’s message.
Farmington signs considered racially-motivated vandalism
The signs are considered racially motivated acts of vandalism on city property. And a prosecutor would determine if the signs rise to the level of a hate crime under Utah law, Cooper said.
“It’s something we take seriously, it’s something we’ll investigate,” Cooper said.
Officials check the signs in Farmington’s public parks monthly during the winter, Cooper said. But parks and recreation officials will now check weekly because of this discovery.
Anybody with information can contact Farmington police.
Simone Seikaly contributed.
Related reading:
- ABC suspends Whoopi Goldberg over Holocaust race remarks
- Utah Jewish federation condemns use of swastika at anti-vaccine protest
- Hate crimes in US reach highest level in more than a decade
- Racial slur found at Facebook construction site in Eagle Mountain
