The community in Lawnside, N.J. is uniting after graphic, racist graffiti was painted on a homeowner’s fence

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Two days after Donald Trump became president-elect, Lawnside, New Jersey, resident Dawn Hines’ work day was interrupted by a series of calls from an unknown number.

When she finally answered her phone, it was her neighbor who informed her that her backyard fence was vandalized with spray paint depicting male genitalia and the words “I HATE N******. SORRY NOT SORRY.” The neighbor sent her photos of her defaced fence.

“Immediately, when I saw the graphics and exactly, you know, everything that it said and spelled out, I just was a little numb,” she said.

In the more than three centuries of Lawnside’s existence, nothing like this has ever happened, according to residents. Incorporated in 1926, the borough is the Garden State’s only Black antebellum community.

Hines has lived in Lawnside for more than two decades. She believes Trump’s history of incendiary rhetoric on race has emboldened racially motivated attacks.

“I would honestly say that it was done at the heels of the election,” she said.

Her backyard can be seen from a major road that connects to several nearby towns, including Runnemede, Magnolia and Voorhees, and she believes that’s the reason her fence became a target.

“It was strategically placed. It’s so perfect,” said Hines. “Anybody can, you know, just view what was put on there. They wanted to get the message across, and they did.”

Bias incidents have recently hit records in New Jersey

If the incident on Hines’ property is directly linked to the election, Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey, said he would not be surprised.

“When you have hate spewing from the very top, what ends up happening is that there’s a trickle down of hate and fear that perpetuates our communities,” he said.

Sinha said that bias incidents, the state’s legal term for hate crimes, could increase as Trump selects cabinet members who share his divisive views.

“I’m afraid that we’re going to see more of that in the second Trump administration and potentially more hate crimes as a result,” he said.

The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office announced earlier this year that bias incidents have reached record highs in 2021 and 2022; 1,885 and 2,211 incidents, respectively. Preliminary results for 2023 show a new record has been set with 2,699 reported incidents.

Attorney General Matt Platkin said there were a couple of reasons for the increase.

“We’ve spent a tremendous amount of time in communities, particularly communities that have historically been hesitant to report to law enforcement to encourage them to tell us, so that we’re aware of what’s going on and we can help stop it,” he said.

Platkin said several bias incidents have been reported over the past week, but he said it is too soon to tell whether those incidents are tied to the election.

“But we know that when people in positions of authority condone bias incidents or bias attacks, when that type of attitude spreads on social media, as it does,” he said. “It doesn’t just stay on social media, it’s acted upon in the real world.”

In September, Platkin’s office launched the “No Hate in the Garden State” campaign, to raise awareness about bias incidents and bias crimes, and provide training programs for students, educators and parents in communities most affected.

‘Hate isn’t’ winning, love is winning.’

Hines said the support from everyone, from friends and family to strangers, has been “phenomenal.” Shortly after the incident, her neighbor called the police and the borough’s public works department quickly cleaned up the fence.

Qawi Austin, one of Hines’ neighbors, learned about the incident early Friday morning from his wife.

“I can begin to explain what I was feeling in that moment, considering how the election shook loose in processing that historical moment, along with [the graffiti] happening right after that,” he said, adding that his wife reached out to Hines first.

“We’re concerned around how she’s feeling, how she’s processing, who in the neighborhood is providing support,” he added. “We’re big on community engagement and civic engagement, so immediately, we just asked her, ‘What does she need?’”

The Camden County East branch of the NAACP and the Lawnside Homeowners/Community Organization will be hosting a town hall meeting at Borough Hall at 2 p.m. Saturday to discuss the incident.

Hines is using what happened to her as a platform to raise awareness.

“Maybe this was put there for reasons to bring … a bunch of people together, bunch of races collectively function, a bunch of cultures together, so we can all come together and unite as one,” she said. “Hate isn’t winning, love is winning.”