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Police are investigating a recent vandalism as a hate crime, after a Palo Alto resident's Ukrainian flag was torn down and left in the yard rolled up with feces inside, according to a press release.
A resident near the 1400 block of Alma Street made the discovery around 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 7. The flag was attached to a hedge in the front yard before it was torn off, bundled up with feces inside.
Police believe the vandalism occurred between the evening of April 6 and the morning of April 7, the news release stated, and are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
No similar cases involving the Ukrainian flag in Palo Alto occurred, police said.
On Thursday, a local NextDoor user posted about a similar case, claiming that their flag was torn down and "filled with human sh-t then rolled up and put inside my property."
"The response to this is for me to make many, many Ukraine flags for display in Palo Alto," the user wrote. "Please let me know if you would like a Ukraine flag to display in solidarity with the Ukraine people who are suffering atrocities of Russia's invasion."
The Weekly was not able to confirm if this was the same case. The NextDoor user did not immediately respond for comment.
The user later updated the post stating that dozens of Ukranian flags are available on the front porch and that "they seem to be going fast."
Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to call the department's 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent by text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984.
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