Faith and community leaders voice concerns about swastika spray-painted along Shipyard Blvd

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A symbol of hate, a swastika, was found spray-painted on a utility pole along Shipyard Boulevard around Memorial Day weekend.

And now, several faith leaders are speaking out against the actions of whoever painted it.

“To have that symbol not removed, to have it simply duct taped over and you can still see the outline of the hate symbol is not good enough,” Chaya Bender, rabbi of the Bnai Israel congregation, said.

Last week, someone discovered the duct tape had been removed.

Bender said that while the symbol is one of hate, this can be a time when people can be educated about its history and why displaying it is not okay.

“They could have spray-painted any kind of hashtag, any kind of tag onto a pole to vandalize it. They didn’t have to use a symbol of hate and that’s when education comes in to show that , even if it was a child who’s up to some kind of childhood antic, that is absolutely not an appropriate symbol.”

In a letter written to city and county leaders, members of the Wilmington Faith Leaders United organization, including Paula Zabkar, leader of the Spiritual Soul Center, condemned the graffiti.

“You see the fear and you see the angst and the anxiety,” Zabkar said. “It made us want to send this letter and to unite in our disgust with what was happening.”

Gayle Tabor is the reverend for SALT United Methodist Church.

She said the swastika isn’t showing hate towards just the Jewish faith.

“It’s also hate for any marginalized group,’ Tabor said. “It is hate that if not spoken to, if not dealt with, then it becomes an escalation. This is the beginning, symbols matter.”

The organization was joined in condemning the symbol by county and city leaders, including city councilwoman Salette Andrews.

“We need to stand together across all faiths, races, neighborhoods, just to say this is not who we are,” Andrews said. “Wilmington is stronger than hate, and we won’t be silent in the face of it.”

The symbol has since been painted over.

But Bender said this is not the first time this symbol has been spray-painted in a public area in the Cape Fear in recent years.

One was seen at a beach access point in Wrightsville Beach back in 2021, and another was painted on a downtown Wilmington sidewalk several months ago.

A spokesperson for the Wilmington Police Department said in this case, the graffiti would be considered property damage.

Bender said she and other faith leaders have been in contact with the police about investigating who may have painted the symbol.