Racial slurs towards African-Americans were recently found written on billboards at the Bellmore Long Island Railroad Station, according to an article in the Bellmore Herald. The vandalism was removed last week.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials told the Bellmore Herald that they were unaware of the vandalism until Feb. 20 and it is unknown how long the graffiti had been up.
Though LIRR personnel try to maintain clean stations, such offensive graffiti can go unnoticed, said Sal Arena, a spokesman for the railroad. “LIRR personnel are always on the lookout for signs of vandalism of any kind at our stations, and hateful or offensive graffiti of any kind always gets an immediate response from our cleaning crews,” he said.
The LIRR asks for the public’s help in putting an end to graffiti at its stations. Anyone who sees graffiti or another act of vandalism should report it by dialing 511 or email mta.info/faqs.htm.
