Neighbors support black North Buffalo family after vandalism

Oct. 16--An African-American family in North Buffalo was dismayed to discover someone over the weekend ransacked their minivan, slashed its tires and scratched racist and offensive language on its exterior.

But they say they're heartened by the response from their neighbors and others who decried the vandalism and offered support to the couple and their children after their story went viral on social media.

"I couldn't ask for anything more. I couldn't ask for any better reaction than just showing me that this is not the way that everyone feels," said Jacquelyn Archie, who lives with her husband, David Washington, and their four children on Parker Avenue. "The only thing that can snuff out the darkness is the light."

Archie said she and her husband discovered the vandalism when they left their home around 8:30 a.m. Saturday. They found one sliding door to their Saturn Relay minivan open and three of the four tires slashed.

Archie said she goes for regular, late-night walks in her neighborhood and she didn't notice anything wrong when she returned at about 12:15 a.m. Saturday, so the damage must have been done during the eight hours in between.

The couple's four children, ranging in age from 6 to 11, often leave their clothes behind in the minivan. The vandal had pulled out those clothes, cut them up and left them strewn inside and outside the van, Archie said. She also said some of the kids' homework assignments were ripped up and thrown around the vehicle, and some of the seats were slashed.

The couple also had left some of the children's Christmas presents in the minivan -- a large "Star Wars" figure, for example, and a Superman Lego set -- and all of them were taken except an African-American superhero doll.

One side of the van had a racial slur scratched into it, and the other side had a derogatory term for a woman etched into the paneling. The front of the van had "MAGA" scratched into the hood, an apparent reference to the term used by President Trump and his supporters that stands for "Make America Great Again."

Archie said in an interview that she and her husband were stunned at first when they saw the damage, and then they wondered how and why the vandal targeted her family.

"Whoever did it is clearly someone who has hate in their heart," she said.

Archie said they haven't had any problems since moving into their home about a year ago. She said on her block there aren't many other African-American residents but there are several other families of color and the neighbors and their children all socialize and get along well.

She said few homes on her street have driveways, so the minivan was parked on the street.

She said they reported the incident to police as soon as they came outside Saturday morning, and an officer did respond. They also reported it to their auto insurance company, and they're waiting for a representative to visit and inspect the damage.

They say they wrestled with how much to say publicly about the vandalism, because they don't want to bring more attention to the actions of the person who committed this crime.

Washington, however, decided to write about it Saturday night on Facebook in a post that's been shared more than 300 times as of late Monday afternoon.

"We didn't do anything to deserve this," he wrote. "We should feel welcomed. It shouldn't matter what color we are. We're good people. Not perfect but good."

Archie said people have reached out with offers to pay for the minivan repairs out of pocket and members of a North Buffalo Facebook group have organized to collect replacement toys and clothes.

"They've come forward. People have messaged us just to say, 'I live in your neighborhood and I want you to be here,' " she said.

Liz Meli-Wischman is a member of the North Park Community Association Facebook group and an active social media user. She said her father first shared Washington's post, and it was wrenching to read.

"Racism obviously happens everywhere, but it's just heartbreaking when you find out that it's happening right down the street from where you live," Meli-Wischman said.

She posted a note saying she was collecting items to replace what was stolen or damaged, and she got a strong response.

"One thing I love about Buffalo, is whenever there is something horrific that happens like this, we all really rally together and we come and we help those people out," said Meli-Wischman, who made some purchases at Target herself.

One of the more touching responses came from classmates in their oldest daughter's fifth-grade class at Elmwood Village Charter School. They made a card for the family and one child in the class promised, Archie said, "She's going to give me $8 to buy a new car."

As for the crime itself, Archie said she doesn't think any surveillance cameras or witnesses noticed what happened. It's not likely someone will be caught, but if that does happen Archie said she won't condemn those responsible.

"I think that everybody deserves love. We may not like what everyone does, or we may not agree with everyone's opinions," Archie said. "But the way to change that isn't to argue with them, it isn't to fight with them. It's to show them that you can love in spite of that."

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