Vandals hit members’ homes
With just two weeks before Election Day, Minnesota elected officials across the Twin Cities awoke Wednesday to find their homes violated by startling graffiti.
The homes of six Minnesota Congress members — Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Norm Coleman and Reps. John Kline, Michele Bachmann, Jim Ramstad and Keith Ellison — were vandalized Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning with spray-painted messages.
"Scum," the messages on the officials' homes, driveways and garages repeated. "Psalm 2," they read. The messages all told the members to resign — and some were more threatening. "Still a target," read the white spray-painted words on Republican Bachmann's Stillwater driveway Wednesday morning.
"U R a criminal" and "Resign now or else," said the black words that Laurie and Sarah Coleman, the Republican senator's wife and daughter, found on their yellow garage in St. Paul's Crocus Hill neighborhood. "Traitor resign now!!" said the side of Democrat Ellison's Minneapolis home Wednesday. Police and partisans across the Twin Cities condemned the graffiti. Sen.
Coleman said the graffiti is a "physical manifestation" of the anger and partisanship that he said is tearing apart the country. The problems are "worse this year," he said. Despite the heat of the campaigns, opponents should express their views at the ballot box — not through frightening graffiti on politicians' homes, police and politicians said.
"This is a childish way for someone to express their political views," said Sgt. Jesse Garcia, a Minneapolis police spokesman. U.S. Capitol Police are working with local police departments on the cases, said Capitol Police Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, and the FBI is coordinating with the victims' offices, local police and the U.S. attorney's office to determine whether a federal crime was committed, said Special Agent E.K. Wilson.
Local police said patrols would be stepped up around the victimized congressional members' homes. Peter Panos, St. Paul police spokesman, said law enforcement is investigating whether one person or group went to each home or whether a coordinated group of people went separately to all the metro-area homes.
Tests could be done to determine whether the paint at all the homes came from the same few cans, Garcia said. By Wednesday evening, no one had taken responsibility for the graffiti and none of the four other Minnesota congressional delegation — Reps. Tim Walz of Mankato, Collin Peterson of Detroit Lakes, Jim Oberstar of Chisholm or Betty McCollum of St. Paul — reported being vandalized.
St. Paul police and other law-enforcement agencies are also increasing patrols around homes and campaign offices of other candidates because "we're thinking they might also be targeted," said St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington. Many of the Congress members or their families were home when the vandals hit.
Sarah Coleman arrived home after 10 p.m. Tuesday, and Wednesday morning Laurie Coleman received an alert from a neighbor that her home had been attacked. The senator was campaigning in outstate Minnesota during the day Wednesday but returned home Wednesday night.
Bachmann and her family, who just moved to a new home in West Lakeland Township, were not at home. Ellison's wife and children were at home. Kline and Ramstad were also home. Ramstad has offered a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of the vandal.
All of the messages included references to the biblical passage Psalm 2, which includes a warning: "Serve and honor the Lord; be glad and tremble," according to the Contemporary English version. "Show respect to his son because if you don't, the Lord might become furious and suddenly destroy you. But he blesses and protects everyone who runs to him." Laurie Coleman said she has never felt unsafe in the home where the family has lived for decades and through five political campaigns.
There was at least one previous incident of someone marking the family's garage with "foul language." This incident, however, is different, she said. "This is just threatening," Laurie Coleman said. Bachmann's campaign manager, Michelle Marston, said the graffiti on the congresswoman's house and driveway was discovered Wednesday morning after a staffer heard from U.S. Capitol Police about the other Republican representatives being hit.
As the staffer arrived at the Stillwater home, which the congresswoman is trying to sell, a real estate agent was arriving at the home with clients. She said that the congresswoman's offices have gotten nastier messages via e-mail and calls in recent days.
Bachmann has been under fire since last week for saying on national television that she was concerned Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama might have anti-American views. Several campaign officials said that their offices and staffers almost routinely receive nasty messages from people who disagree with them.
Over the past several months, vandals have hit Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken's campaign office, etching the words "Tax Crazy" and "No New Taxes" into his glass doors. Franken and Independence Party Senate candidate Dean Barkley condemned the vandalism of their political rival's home.
"There's no place for this unacceptable behavior in our political process, or in our communities," said a statement from Franken's campaign. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party chair joined in condemning the vandalism. "I deplore and condemn the vandalism against the property of Senator Coleman and other Republican officeholders.
The immaturity and stupidity of these crimes should offend every citizen, regardless of politics. If Norm Coleman and the others are going to be held accountable for their poor stewardship, then it must be done the American way — at the ballot box and in public discourse, not in the dead of night with a can of spray paint,"
Brian Melendez said. Dave Orrick contributed to this report. Rachel E. Stassen-Berger and Mara H. Gottfried are political writers for The St. Paul Pioneer Press. Politico and the Pioneer Press are sharing content for the 2008 election cycle country.
The problems are "worse this year," he said. Despite the heat of the campaigns, opponents should express their views at the ballot box — not through frightening graffiti on politicians' homes, police and politicians said.
"This is a childish way for someone to express their political views," said Sgt. Jesse Garcia, a Minneapolis police spokesman. U.S. Capitol Police are working with local police departments on the cases, said Capitol Police Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, and the FBI is coordinating with the victims' offices, local police and the U.S. attorney's office to determine whether a federal crime was committed, said Special Agent E.K. Wilson.
Local police said patrols would be stepped up around the victimized congressional members' homes. Peter Panos, St. Paul police spokesman, said law enforcement is investigating whether one person or group went to each home or whether a coordinated group of people went separately to all the metro-area homes.
Tests could be done to determine whether the paint at all the homes came from the same few cans, Garcia said. By Wednesday evening, no one had taken responsibility for the graffiti and none of the four other Minnesota congressional delegation — Reps.
Tim Walz of Mankato, Collin Peterson of Detroit Lakes, Jim Oberstar of Chisholm or Betty McCollum of St. Paul — reported being vandalized. St. Paul police and other law-enforcement agencies are also increasing patrols around homes and campaign offices of other candidates because "we're thinking they might also be targeted," said St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington.
Many of the Congress members or their families were home when the vandals hit. Sarah Coleman arrived home after 10 p.m. Tuesday, and Wednesday morning Laurie Coleman received an alert from a neighbor that her home had been attacked. The senator was campaigning in outstate Minnesota during the day Wednesday but returned home Wednesday night. Bachmann and her family, who just moved to a new home in West Lakeland Township, were not at home. Ellison's wife and children were at home.
Kline and Ramstad were also home. Ramstad has offered a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of the vandal. All of the messages included references to the biblical passage Psalm 2, which includes a warning: "Serve and honor the Lord; be glad and tremble," according to the Contemporary English version.
"Show respect to his son because if you don't, the Lord might become furious and suddenly destroy you. But he blesses and protects everyone who runs to him." Laurie Coleman said she has never felt unsafe in the home where the family has lived for decades and through five political campaigns.
There was at least one previous incident of someone marking the family's garage with "foul language." This incident, however, is different, she said. "This is just threatening," Laurie Coleman said. Bachmann's campaign manager, Michelle Marston, said the graffiti on the congresswoman's house and driveway was discovered Wednesday morning after a staffer heard from U.S. Capitol Police about the other Republican representatives being hit.
As the staffer arrived at the Stillwater home, which the congresswoman is trying to sell, a real estate agent was arriving at the home with clients. She said that the congresswoman's offices have gotten nastier messages via e-mail and calls in recent days. Bachmann has been under fire since last week for saying on national television that she was concerned Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama might have anti-American views.
Several campaign officials said that their offices and staffers almost routinely receive nasty messages from people who disagree with them. Over the past several months, vandals have hit Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken's campaign office, etching the words "Tax Crazy" and "No New Taxes" into his glass doors.
Franken and Independence Party Senate candidate Dean Barkley condemned the vandalism of their political rival's home. "There's no place for this unacceptable behavior in our political process, or in our communities," said a statement from Franken's campaign.
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party chair joined in condemning the vandalism. "I deplore and condemn the vandalism against the property of Senator Coleman and other Republican officeholders. The immaturity and stupidity of these crimes should offend every citizen, regardless of politics.
If Norm Coleman and the others are going to be held accountable for their poor stewardship, then it must be done the American way — at the ballot box and in public discourse, not in the dead of night with a can of spray paint," Brian Melendez said. Dave Orrick contributed to this report. Rachel E. Stassen-Berger and Mara H. Gottfried are political writers for The St. Paul Pioneer Press. Politico and the Pioneer Press are sharing content for the 2008 election cycle.
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Vandals hit members’ homes By RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER - THE ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS & MARA H. GOTTFRIED - THE ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS | 10/23/08 7:13 AM EDT
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