Idaho Anne Frank Memorial vandalized with Nazi stickers; Boise police investigating
An Idaho landmark was defiled sometime Monday night or early Tuesday, as stickers donning Nazi insignia were placed throughout the Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in Boise.
The Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, which maintains the Anne Frank memorial, posted photos on Facebook on Wednesday morning showing the stickers.
The stickers consisted of a swastika and read, “we are everywhere.” There were nine swastika stickers in all, and they were removed once they were found.
In one Facebook post, the human rights center wrote that the stickers were placed throughout the memorial sometime Tuesday. The caption also read, “I fear for what is happening to our community.”
Another Facebook post included the following caption: “The Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial was built as a physical statement of our shared values. One of those values includes standing up to confront hate.”
Dan Prinzing, the center’s executive director, said they were told of the vandalism Tuesday after a visitor discovered the stickers. The center then called police. Prinzing said he hopes to expand the memorial’s security system following this incident.
“It’s a sad statement in our community to have such a public statement of hate,” Prinzing told the Statesman on Wednesday.
Boise police officers were notified of the vandalism at around 9 a.m. Tuesday morning, according to Haley Williams, a spokesperson for the Boise Police Department. Williams said the vandalism occurred sometime Monday night or early Tuesday morning.
Police were in the process of reviewing surveillance video from the area as of Wednesday morning, and the investigation is ongoing, Williams said.
Anyone with information regarding the vandalism is encouraged to call Ada County dispatchers at 208-377-6790 or call Crime Stoppers at 208-343-COPS (2677). Tips can also be left online by going to www.343COPS.com or using the “P3 Tips” app on your smartphone.
Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee said Wednesday that the incident is “obviously alarming behavior” to find in the community, and that the department was told by the Anti-Defamation League that there may be similar incidents around the Pacific Northwest. Police are investigating to see whether this is an isolated incident or something that is part of a larger connection.
“It does cause us concern,” Lee said. “We take instances of hate and hate messaging, and particularly things such as neo-Nazi conduct, with serious concern and alarm.”
Prinzing said that while the vandalism is disheartening, now is not the time to be silent. Rather, the time to speak up and be louder is now.
He referenced the center’s namesake, Bill Wassmuth, who confronted hate in North Idaho as white supremacists moved into that area. After his home was bombed, Wassmuth only grew louder.
This isn’t the first time the memorial has been vandalized, as the site was the target of graffiti back in 2017. Then-Boise Police Chief Bill Bones called the 2017 act of vandalism a cowardly, criminal incident.
When that incident occurred, Prinzing told news outlets worldwide not to judge Idaho on the actions of a few. Now, he said we must ask ourselves if this is what we are becoming.
This story was originally published December 9, 2020 at 11:04 AM.
