Police in Santa Fe are trying to determine who spray-painted a swastika on a wall outside an apartment where a Jewish man lives, according to multiple sources.
Jeff Hornstein, 58, said he and his wife noticed the swastika outside their home as they returned from dinner.
He commented, saying, “I came forward because I felt that I had to stand up to hate, ignorance, and cowardice."
"It's not something I would really expect in Santa Fe,” said a neighbor who lives down the street. “And it's a little too close for my comfort. It's frightening."
Hornstein, an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher who works with the immigrant community, filed a report with the police and the Anti-Defamation League.
“At this point, we don’t have any suspects,” Santa Fe police Lt. Sean Strahon said. “We don’t have anything else to go on.”
As of now, they're calling the swastika vandalism and not a hate crime.
“I can’t convince myself it is a coincidence,” Hornstein said.
“It’s important it not get painted over — out of sight, out of mind,” he said. “It’s important people understand these things happen.”
The ADL has reported 50 hate crimes in New Mexico in 2020.
In May, a University of New Mexico student was targeted due to his Jewish identity and assaulted by a group of individuals at a party.