State and local officials are strongly condemning racist and anti-Semitic graffiti found in the town of Perinton early Thursday.

The graffiti was found in several locations, including spray painted on buildings at the Pines of Perinton apartment complex off Whitney Road.

A number of officials have condemned the hateful words and symbols including Governor Andrew Cuomo who issued a statement saying that he is disgusted by the swastikas and other racist graffiti. Cuomo has directed the State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to investigate the incident.

Fairport Police Chief Sam Farina and Monroe County Sheriff’s Department Captain Andrew DeLyser also met with reporters to ask for the public’s help if they have any surveillance video in the area that might help with the investigation.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is seeking surveillance video from Whitney Rd./Perinton homeowners and neighbors who live in neighborhoods between Watson and Baird Roads. Anyone who has video depicting suspicious individuals or suspicious activity between 07/01/20 at 10pm to 07/02/20 at 6am is encouraged to call 911.

DeLyser says it’s important that people in the town stand up against this kind of hatred.

“Even if you have no information about what happened here today, talk about with your friends, your families, your neighbors about how unacceptable this is and how, like the chief said, this isn’t Fairport, this isn’t Perinton, this isn’t what we are,” DeLyser said.



Town officials praised those who worked quickly to remove the graffiti. The Perinton Department of Public Works also offered equipment and personnel to help with that process.

Video (from WXXI photojournalist Max Schulte) of a Thursday morning news conference at the Pines of Perinton:

Randy Gorbman is the news director at WXXI News, a media partner of CITY. He can be reached at [email protected].