Two people responsible for tagging businesses with anti-gay and anti-Semitic graffiti are now paying to keep the neighborhood clean and safe, reports NBC 7’s Jeanette Quezada.
Two people responsible for tagging Hillcrest businesses with anti-gay and antisemitic graffiti are now paying to help keep the neighborhood clean and safe.
The money they pay out in restitution will be used to create a fund that beautifies the Hillcrest community.
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WATCH HERE"Holding people accountable matters, and we're going to continue to do it with everything we've got," San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan.
Two young men recently pleaded guilty to vandalism and hate crimes after tagging murals with hateful messages, swastikas and anti-LGBTQ+ slurs on the corner of Fifth Street and Robinson Street.
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SIGN UP "It's not just property damage. Hate crimes have a ripple effect whether it's a person or against property," Stephan said. "The feeling of fear, of disrespect, shame is something that ripples through a community."
Both were ordered to pay nearly $2,500 in restitution for the damage and $200 to each restaurant that was tagged. That money has been given to the Hillcrest Business Association, which plans to use it for volunteer events that improve the neighborhood.
Ryan Bedrosian, owner of Rich's Nightclub, hopes Thursday's outcome deters others from doing it again.
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"It's more than just defacing property," Bedrosian siad. "It kind of hits you in your heart, knowing that there's people out there that are so hateful inside that they feel that they need to write words, or write swastikas or spew hate around the community."
Rick Cervantes is an activist and volunteer. He remembers the Hillcrest community springing up into action to clean up the hateful messages.
"They took with the scrubbers and sponges, and they started to scrub all the graffiti off because we didn't want anyone else to see it," Cervantes said. "We want to maintain Hillcrest as a safe space for everyone."
Cervantes is grateful these two young men have been brought to justice and hopes this conveys a clear message to the community.
"Today's action makes me feel resilient, strong. It makes me feel seen, heard. It makes me feel that our community will not be silenced by hate," Cervantes said.
