Wendell community shaken by repeated hate speech vandalism incidents in one week

Wendell Residents Concerned After Building Defaced with Hate Speech Twice in One Week

Wendell residents expressed concern on Thursday after a building on North Hollybrook Road was spray-painted with hate speech twice within the same week.

The first incident was discovered on Monday, with some of the graffiti featuring a Star of David crossed out on the side of the building. Authorities in Wendell quickly responded, painting over the offensive messages in less than 24 hours.

“This does not reflect the nature of the community of Wendell,” said Rev. Wallace Johnson of Wendell United Methodist Church. “I think people are surprised to see something like this in our sweet, wonderful, awesome town.”

However, less than four days later, the building was targeted again. This time, the graffiti included expletives aimed at President Donald Trump, Vice President J. D. Vance, Israel, and Charlie Kirk. The new vandalism also contained increased antisemitic messages targeting Israel and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a bipartisan pro-Israel political action committee advocating for stronger U.S.-Israel relations.

In both instances, the phrases “America first” and “follow Jesus Christ” were spray-painted on the building.

Wendell police told WRAL News that they have been monitoring the building since the initial incident but remain uncertain about the exact timing and identity of the perpetrators.

Rev. Johnson emphasized the disturbing nature of linking hateful messages to religious teachings that fundamentally promote love and justice.

“When we see people associating messages of hate and anger, and just nastiness with Jesus, who is perfect love and grace and acceptance and justice, it’s like we’re missing something here,” Johnson said. “We [have] to clarify.”

Wendell Police Chief John Slaughter assured residents that identifying those responsible is a top priority for the department. He also stressed that such hateful messages have no place in the town.

“This is causing concern to our community here because the messaging that is out here causes fear for people who fall into that group,” Slaughter said.

As of Thursday, the Wendell Police Department is actively following up on leads to identify the vandals. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Wendell Police Department at 919-365-4444.
https://www.wral.com/news/local/hate-speech-vandalism-shocks-wendell-town-january-2026/

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