Pennsylvania police department confirmed it is investigating after a swastika was spray painted on the floor of a barn owned by the private Westtown School but rented by the FarmerJawn regenerative organic farm.
An August 6 press release published on Monday by the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department confirms FarmerJawn owner Christa Barfield called officers after an employee discovered “a swastika had been spray painted on the floor of one of the barns that she leases from the Westtown School.”
The graffiti was discovered on August 4, and the police press release confirmed it is actively investigating the “crime and its intended target” and has increased patrols in the area to dissuade further vandalism.
In a news segment posted to the social media platform X, Barfield told Fox 29 that this is not the first act of vandalism at the farm.
“Something as heinous as a swastika is not just an attack on some of us but it’s an attack on all of us,” said Barfield.
The staff member who discovered the vandalism said he was “shocked” and told the outlet the act “felt directed toward our team.”
Barfield added, “we understand that hate does live in this community, but it does not live on this farm.”
We need to change people's minds about what equity really looks like, and create opportunities for regenerative, organic food production for all.
"Hate lives in this community, but it does not live here on this farm" – Christa Barfield, @FarmerJawn_#equityisnotjustabuzzword pic.twitter.com/FFddvhLoo2
— The Farmers Land Trust (@FarmersLT) August 13, 2024
A letter from the Westtown School stated “we are profoundly strengthened by the diversity of our community,” and described the vandalism as “disturbing,” according to Fox 29.
FarmerJawn spokesman Peter Breslow said he was “shocked, saddened and flat out pissed off” over the vandalism, which he wrote is a hate crime.
Police did not release information about a motive in its press release, but the incident follows the formation and dispersal of anti-Israel encampments at various colleges and universities throughout Pennsylvania.
While police dismantled encampments at Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania in May, the encampments continued to form into June, when a protestor was arrested at the University of Pittsburgh.
It also comes as Vice President Kamala Harris faced criticism for allegedly skipping over Governor Josh Shapiro because his support for Israel and Jewish heritage could prove demoralizing for anti-Israel Democrats.
Republican U.S. Senate nominee Dave McCormick recently stated, “It’s hard to imagine that Josh’s strong stand on Israel, his Jewish background didn’t somehow factor into the decision.”
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “FarmerJawn Agriculture” by FarmerJawn Agriculture.
