Car Vandalized With Images Of Swastikas, Racial Slurs Leads To Call For Hate Crime Probe

INKSTER (WWJ) - A car vandalized in the city of Inkster leads to a call for an investigation into a possible hate-crime.

The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) calling on state and federal law enforcement authorities to investigate the motive for vandalism targeting the car of a Muslim man of South Asian heritage in Inkster.

CAIR saying the owner of the car returned to his apartment Wednesday evening to find his car spray-painted with Nazi swastikas and racial slurs. Tires on the vehicle were also punctured. The alleged victim moved into the apartment complex four days ago.

"We call on local, state and federal law enforcement authorities to investigate this vandalism as a possible hate crime," said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid. "No American should feel threatened to move into a new location because of his or her faith or ethnicity."

He said the organization is also looking into a report of another similar act of vandalism targeting a Muslim living in the same apartment complex.

Walid added that CAIR has noted an unprecedented spike in hate incidents targeting Muslims and other minority groups since the November presidential election.