Crackdown on Hate Crimes Urged
A spray-painted swastika and pentagram recently found on a building for Armenian-American Boy and Girl Scouts has leaders of the community demanding that Glendale officials take tougher action against hate crimes.
A Scout official discovered the symbols Saturday on a wall of the Homenetmen Armenian General Athletics Union and Scouts building at 544 W. Broadway. Two vans parked near the building were also defaced.
The incident, still under investigation, has not yet been classified as a hate crime, said Officer Rodney Brooks of the Glendale Police Department.
Nonetheless, more than a dozen Armenian-American groups will hold a news conference today asking city officials to form a high-profile human relations committee.
The vandalism “is a sign of discord within a minority,” said Raffi Hamparian, government affairs director for the Armenian National Committee of America.
“For many people, there is great sadness and disappointment. . . . This, in a way, has shaken their faith. This is a signal that you’re not welcome.”
The Armenian National Committee, based in Washington, is a grass-roots group that acts as a liaison between the Armenian-American community and local governments nationwide.
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