Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Friday, August 08, 2008

Vandals tag Viroqua Democratic building with racial slur

By Matt Johnson | Lee Newspapers

VIROQUA, Wis. — The Democratic Party headquarters for Vernon and Crawford counties in downtown Viroqua was vandalized Thursday with a racial slur spray-painted over a sign promoting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

It is the second time in recent weeks that the office’s front windows were defaced with spray paint. On July 15, at midday, vandals spray-painted the words “McCain: He’s a vet” on the front windows, in addition to other messages.

The most recent incident included a racial slur about the Illinois senator’s run for the White House. The presumptive Democratic nominee is black.

Viroqua Assistant Police Chief Daron Jefson said an officer on duty noticed the vandalism just before 5 a.m. The same colors of spray paint that were used to deface the window in July were also used in this incident. Jefson said. Viroqua officers are investigating.

“We want to catch (who is doing this),” Jefson said. “This has got to end.”

The headquarters is in the former Dahl Pharmacy Building along Main Street. Karen Dahl, a member of the National Democratic Party’s Veteran and Military Council and owner of the building, said it was disappointing to see the headquarters vandalized a second time, comparing the vandalism to a hate crime.

Dahl said local Democratic Party officials were torn between giving the matter any attention or leaving the vandalism up for a while so people can see how low the vandals had stooped.

“It really puts Viroqua in a bad light,” Dahl said.

Phillip Walzak, Wisconsin Communications Director for the Obama for America organization, had a low-key reaction to the incident.

“We thank local law enforcement for their help and service, and look forward to continuing to focus this campaign on the important issues that matter to Wisconsin voters,” Walzak said.

Officials with the presidential campaign for Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, did not return phone calls on Thursday.

Matt Johnson is editor at the Vernon County Broadcaster.