Racist slur spray painted on apartment building near Holland
HOLLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — People living in an apartment complex near Holland said they woke up to quite the surprise over the weekend.
Black spray paint, including a racist slur and an inappropriate image of genitalia, were still visible on the building and surrounding fence off in Holland Township on Wednesday afternoon.
Daniel Garcia Simo, who lives in the building, told News 8 that it happened sometime between Saturday and Sunday.
At first, Garcia Simo said he only saw the thick black lines sprayed on the garages. His wife called the police and when they came to take a report, they showed him the derogatory word written on the side of the building.
When asked if he was afraid of the meaning behind the offensive word, Garcia Simo, who only spoke Spanish, said he was not afraid, but that he didn't like it. He added that graffiti is one thing, but when it's on people's homes, it's inconvenient and makes people angry.
Another woman who lives in the building but did not want to be named said there are four units and that no African Americans live in the complex. She added that she's lived there for six years and that nothing like this has ever happened.
A representative with Waveland Property Management told News 8 over the phone that the police have been notified, but that they don't have a timeline for how quickly the graffiti will be cleaned up.
The employee estimated that they've been managing this property for over 10 years and that they're also not aware of anything like this happening before.
A spokesperson for the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office noted the incident could be investigated as a hate crime, alongside malicious destruction of property.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
5 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Pride and community at Sox Mexican Heritage Night game amid immigration crackdowns
There are few things more American than baseball. But on a recent Mexican Heritage Night at Rate Field, it was something more layered, more defiant and deeply moving. Amid the crack of bats and the roar of the crowd, this sliver of the South Side of Chicago felt like it belonged — completely — to its people. To the vendors shouting in Spanish, the kids in their Sox jerseys, the swaying to mariachi in the stands. The smell of and the sound of Banda music coming from the parking lot. They were all there to watch baseball and to celebrate their culture despite the newfound fear sparked by immigration crackdowns in the city of Chicago and its surroundings. In that space, at a Sox game against the Kansas City Royals, for a few sacred hours, joy roared louder than fear. To be sure, few places feel completely safe for Mexicans nowadays. Many now have strong roots in Chicago, their families are a mix of U.S. citizens and loved ones who are lacking permanent legal status. That means that most times, everyone is on high alert. For many Chicagoans, deportations are starting to hit home. Just last Wednesday, an estimated 20 people were rounded up during surprise check-ins at the federal agency's Intensive Supervision Appearance Program offices in Chicago. Similar arrests were reported that day in New York, San Jose and Birmingham. More reports of raids at suburban factories spread through the end of the week. So for many, it is a strange, almost surreal thing to celebrate their roots in a public arena these days. In a country where anti-immigrant rhetoric has again tightened its grip, where deportation raids are haunting families like shadows on back porches, where policies continue to dehumanize under the guise of 'law and order,' showing pride can feel like an act of rebellion. While the White Sox as an organization steers clear of making overt political statements, its commitment is to create an inclusive, welcoming environment, said Sheena Quinn, vice president of public relations for the White Sox. Quinn said that nights like these are not about politics, but about community — about making sure every fan feels seen, valued and celebrated. ,' as my Mexican grandfather said. The team of the people. There's a reason these nights matter. They aren't just cultural marketing or feel-good footnotes. They are necessary sanctuaries — moments of unapologetic presence. In a time when neighbors who lack permanent legal status are being disappeared from their jobs or at immigration hearings, when headlines reduce human beings to statistics or threats, to be seen and celebrated in the open air of a stadium is no small thing. And the beauty of baseball is that it offers something like solidarity, even if unspoken. You can sit next to someone you might never talk to on the street — an old-school South Sider, a first-gen college kid, a Polish grandma, a Mexican father with his daughters — and for nine innings, you're all just fans. The field becomes neutral ground. The flags waving — U.S. and Mexican — remind us that identity isn't binary. It's layered, sometimes conflicted, always rich. There's healing in that. And hope. Because joy, in the face of trauma, is a kind of resistance. Celebrating your culture in the open, without apology or permission, is its own form of protest. And when a community gathers — not in mourning or defense, but in celebration — it says something powerful: We're still here. We belong. So yes, the night ended like any other ballgame. Final score posted. Sox won 2-7 and had a majestic fireworks show while '' by Vicente Fernández played in the background. Fans trailed out to their cars. But what lingered wasn't just a win or a loss. It was a sense of collective breath — a reminder that joy isn't frivolous. It's fuel. It's armor. And in the face of everything this country continues to throw at immigrant communities, that joy under stadium lights may be the most radical thing of all.
Miami Herald
5 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Man slams 5-year-old against wall, surrenders after hours of barricading himself
Miami-Dade deputies spent almost four hours trying to talk a man of his barricaded apartment after he allegedly slammed his son against a wall Saturday afternoon, injuring the 5-year-old, authorities say. Around 2 p.m., Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputies were alerted to the scene at an apartment complex near Tamiami Park. The young boy suffered a 'laceration' at the home, 2055 SW 122nd Ave. The child was taken to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. There were two other children in the home at the time, according to the Sheriff's office. The man, who has not been identified, barricaded himself inside the apartment and spent hours refusing to listen to the deputies commands to come out. He surrendered around 5:40 p.m. At the scene, the crackle of a negotiator's voice over a megaphone could be heard amid sharp pops of smoke and gas grenades. SWAT teams were positioned around the apartment complex, many aiming high-powered rifles at the building. A video posted to the OnlyinDade social media platform captured the chaotic scene before the surrender, showing heavily armed law enforcement officers surrounding the area. 'Come out with your hands up,' a negotiator called out in both English and Spanish. 'Let us help you,' they pleaded with him. Miami Herald staff writer Milena Malaver contributed to this report. This is a developing story.
6 hours ago
Small sport stirs up controversy in Spain as Basque Country makes its international debut
MADRID -- A small sport popular in Spain's northern Basque Country has stirred up a political controversy that triggered court action and fanned the region's long-held feelings of nationalism. There has been back-and-forth spats between sports officials and politicians after the Basque Country region was allowed to compete as a nation in international competitions in pelota vasca, a sport that was in the Olympics more than 100 years ago but is now rarely seen in most parts of the world. Even sport's highest court was asked to get involved. The dispute culminated this weekend in what many had thought was an impossible scenario: The Basque Country and Spain playing against each other in an international sporting event — the pelota vasca Nations League. The Basque Country, also known as Euskadi, maintains a strong cultural identity and traditions in a region once scarred by violence. The Basque separatist movement began in the late 1950s and was led by the now-defunct militant group ETA. In 2011, the group declared a 'definitive end' to an armed conflict that killed nearly 900 people, and it officially disbanded in 2018. Pelota vasca, also known as Basque pelota, is played on a court with players using their hands and different types of rackets to hit the ball against a high wall. Depending on which version of the sport is being played, there are different court measurements — all of them with a high front wall and most with another high side wall. The biggest court is 54 meters long (177 feet long). In the Basque Country region, it's considered by many as a national sport. There were jeers when the Spanish national anthem played at the awards ceremony in the Basque Country location of Gernika-Lumo. The Basque Country won the men's final on Friday night, while Spain took the victory in the women's decider. The sport's Spanish federation had strongly opposed the recognition of the Basque team, citing alleged illegalities in the recognition process by the international body. It denounced 'pressure, threats and coercion' against Basque players who had chosen to play for Spain. Spain eventually went to the Court of Arbitration for Sports and asked for a ruling on the legality of the changes made in the bylaws of the international federation to allow the Basque team to be recognized. The Spanish federation said it was not allowed to vote in the general assembly in late December. The CAS decision is still pending. 'It's essential to emphasize that this is not an issue against the Basque Country, but rather a matter of legality,' the Spanish federation said in one of its many statements. The Spanish federation at one point complained of a lack of government support and was especially upset when the nation's top sports official, José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, said that pelota vasca shouldn't be considered a Spanish sport in the sense that it is not played throughout the nation. The Spanish federation said the sport has an 'unquestionable national presence' with more than 10,000 athletes in the country. Politicians in the Basque Country had deemed the recognition by the international federation as historic. They had been working on making that possible for several years but lacked legal backing within local laws and statutes. 'It was unimaginable not too long ago to see these athletes wearing the Basque Country jersey in an international competition,' said Aitor Esteban, president of the Basque Nationalist Party. 'I think it's an important and exciting step. It's another step toward national recognition as a country. This international presence gives us visibility.' The Spanish federation said the Nations League can't be considered an official competition because the international federation did not meet the requirements needed to be able to host the event on Spanish soil, which included proper approval by Spanish officials. The Spanish federation said it only participated in the event out of consideration for its athletes who wanted to play and were afraid that the competition could eventually serve as a qualifier for next year's world championships in Argentina, as indicated by the international body. The Spanish federation insisted it can't be considered an official competition. The Basque federation of pelota vasca praised the fact that its national team became a 'reality.' 'We were born to grow and promote pelota vasca. It is part of our culture, of our identity and of our people," it said. 'We look to the future with hope, the future is ours.' In addition to Spain and the Basque Country, the other participants in the Nations League were the United States, France, Mexico and the Philippines. Pelota vasca was an official Olympic sport at the 1900 Paris Games and has been a demonstration sport several times since then, most recently in Barcelona in 1992. Variations of pelota vasca include jai alai, which in the United States is mostly played in Florida. Other countries where the sport is seen include France, Argentina, Mexico and Cuba.
