BG police investigating 2nd incident of racist vandalism
10/16/2012BOWLING GREEN - A day after Bowling Green State University men’s basketball coach Louis Orr found racist graffiti written in chalk outside his home, a BGSU student told police he found a racially-charged note and watermelons smashed on the windshield of his car.
Bowling Green Police Lt. Brad Biller said the victim, Chad M. Franklin, 24, an African-American BGSU student, made the discovery Monday morning outside his home in the 200 block of East Merry Avenue. He told police he felt that he’d been targeted. Police are asking for the public’s assistance in finding those responsible for both incidents.
“This is not something that we expect to typically see, to have occuring in the city of Bowling Green,” Lieutenant Biller said. “It’s very rare for something like this to occur. What prompted the second one, was it the same people or person, was it prompted because of the media attention at Coach Orr’s residence, was it something else? I don’t know.”
In an interview with The Blade today, Coach Orr said his family has been “embraced” by the Bowling Green community since moving here in 2007.
“This one incident, by no means, represents our experience here,” he said. “And it’s not an indictment on the community. Something like this could happen anywhere in America. I believe it’s an issue of the heart. And only God can heal the heart -- not legislation or whatever.”