The Long Beach Police Department says it has opened a hate crime investigation after a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. was vandalized with hate symbols over the weekend. A photo posted online shows the statue of Dr. King defaced with a swastika and SS bolts. Mayor Robert Garcia told members of the California community that police are working to find those responsible. “Our MLK statue is a symbol of hope and justice for the community,” he said in a tweet. “This hate and desecration has no place in our city.” In response to the vandalism, a local group called AOC7 Neighborhood Group, hosted a rally to peacefully protest the act, with members of the small crowd holding signs that read “No Room for Hate in Long Beach” and “White Silence Is Violence.”
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