Karen and Ken Krowne, longtime residents of Wayland, Massachusetts, were among the many saddened by a symbol of hate plastered in a very public place.
"As a Jew, I'm personally very insulted and worried about it," said Ken Crowne.
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It's the second time in the last 16 months a swastika has been found in town.
"Here it is, rearing its ugly head again," said Karen Crowne. "And the only thing we can do is stand up to it — stand up to it more, and more, and more."
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The swastika was found Wednesday morning painted on the side of the building housing the town pool.
It's on a main road and at the entrance to the high school.
It has now been covered up.
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"I think, unfortunately, we're living at a time when antisemitism is rising in our country, and it is therefore unsurprising that our town of Wayland would be affected again by an incident such as this one," said Rabbi Danny Burkeman of Temple Shir Tikva in Wayland.
In 2022, the pool was also targeted with a symbol of hate against the Black community.
Wednesday night, people came together to discuss this latest incident of hate in town at a gathering organized by the Wayland Community Action Network.
"I'm glad that we at least have a group that can bring people together," said Caroline Higgins, cofounder of WCAN. "People are ready to talk and people want to brainstorm about how to stop things like this from happening."
Dozens of people turned out, interested in being part of the solution and trying to figure out why this keeps happening.
"There's a lot of hate among a lot of people right now, and I think that spray-painting swastikas, or any symbol of hate, is not the way to really express how you're feeling," said WCAN cofounder Allison Kates.
Wayland police are investigating the vandalism of the pool. Anyone with information is asked to call call 508-358-4721 or leave a tip anonymously at 508-358-1726.
