The police who arrived on the scene brought more disturbing news. Similar graffiti, including racial epithets, had been found earlier that day on a portable toilet in the nearby subdivision of Lakeview, still under construction.
Police say they are investigating the two incidents as hate crime.
They bring to 15 the number of hate crimes reported in Prince George's this summer. Joe Merkel, spokesman for the Prince George's County Police Department. But because of the nature of the incident, it is classified as a hate crime. Like their white neighbors, said Fenwick, the black residents of the subdivision are professionals and business owners attracted to the safety and quiet of the community. This is not a crime area.