Racist Slurs Scrawled On Hoops Court Black Family Target Of Post Falls Graffiti Vandal

Police are investigating racist graffiti scrawled on a Post Falls basketball court over the weekend.

The slurs and obscenities mentioned the family of Inez Anderson, a black Post Falls woman. She drove her two sons to the court Sunday to play basketball. They found the graffiti, which included a swastika and the letters KKK.

“There it was in big bold letters,” she said. “I’m hurt because my children have to see that.”

Anderson caught flak in April after she was involved in a Post Falls Junior High protest against racist remarks made by a student. Some parents criticized her for orchestrating what they viewed as an unnecessary disruption of school.

Post Falls Police Lt. Dick Halligan said Monday that police have no suspects in the case. He said police will patrol the North City Park heavily.

Parks Director Dave Fair said parks workers painted over the graffiti Sunday night.

“Our response to this is the same as any - we try to get it covered up as quickly as possible,” he said. “This is unacceptable.”

It was the first incident of racial graffiti he’d seen in Post Falls, he said. Fair said it will cost between $1,500 and $2,000 to repaint the court.

Anderson said she didn’t think the school controversy had anything to do with the graffiti.

“A racist is a racist is a racist,” she said. “They don’t need anything to get started. They just can’t stand to have you around.”

She said the family has been the target of threatening phone calls, obscene gestures and racial slurs for years.

“We get looks just standing outside our door,” she said. “We don’t go looking for people to be racist. We just mind our business. But when people are calling our children names, I get offended.”

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: BYLINE = Rich Roesler Staff writer Staff writer Susan Drumheller contributed to this report.