A black family in a Dallas suburb claimed to have been the target of a hate crime, saying two cars were set on fire and the home was vandalized in response to putting up a “Black Lives Matter” sign.
Jayla Gipson, 36, said she made the discovery when her 21-year-old son said he smelled smoke shortly after midnight on Nov. 9. In addition to the vehicle fires, “Trump 2020” was found spray-painted on the home’s garage.
“It’s horrible,” Gipson told NBC News. “Had that sign not been in my yard, I don’t think this would have ever been an incident for us.”
Police in Little Elm, Texas, said firefighters and officers responded to the incident at Gipson’s house after a 911 call reporting the fire and vandalism. The incident is under investigation, but no arrests or injuries were reported.
Photos from the scene showed missing car parts and black soot around the vehicles. Front bumpers were burned into ashes.
Investigators haven’t determined a motive for the incident, and they have not made the conclusion that it was a hate crime, which Gipson alleged it was.
“It’s definitely a hate crime,” Gipson said. “‘Trump 2020’ was sprayed on our garage, our ‘Black Lives Matter’ sign was spray-painted, and our cars were engulfed in flames.”
