Medford police and the Tufts University Police Department are investigating graffiti depicting racist symbols and messages discovered yesterday morning at Bello Field, according to an email sent to the Tufts community Sunday evening.
Tufts Facilities Services personnel discovered that signage and other structures on Bello Field had been defaced with objectionable graffiti, including swastikas and white supremacist slogans, the email said.
The discovery was one of many across southern Medford that morning, according to Lt. Mark Rudolph of the Medford Police Department (MPD), including at Medfords Columbus Elementary School.
The spread of the tags on signs, streets and mailboxes across Medford indicates that the attack was likely not Tufts-centric, he said.
[Bello Field] is the only Tufts property ... that was damaged, Rudolph said.
Medford police are working with area gang units in an attempt to identify the signs, many of which were very specific, according to Rudolph. Beyond swastikas and racial slurs, the tags included clovers and the words Crew 28, according to reporting by local affiliate FOX 25.
Rudolph noted that MPD had yet to identify any suspects as of late yesterday evening.
While the Medford Department of Public Works, as well as local residents, cleaned up the off-campus graffiti Sunday morning, the on-campus cleanup was undertaken by Tufts staff. Further investigation will be handled internally by [TUPD], according to Rudolph, but they will also be working with the Medford police.
Tufts...police are working with Medford police to investigate these similar incidents, which represent sentiments that are deeply offensive to members of our community, the email said.
The Tufts Community Union Senate interrupted its final session of the semester to draft a response to the discovery, writing in remarks that events such as these affect our entire campus, and calling for an internal, critical reflection.
TUPD could not be reached for comment last night.
