A Texas family woke up last Wednesday to find their two cars on and the “Trump 20” spray-painted in their home after putting up a “Black Lives Matter” sign in the garden.
Jayla Gipson and Charles Crawford, who are black, told WFFA they suspected the sign might have triggered vandals to attack their home in Little Elm.
“That sign was in my garden for less than two weeks and suddenly a tragedy like this happened to us,” Gipson said.
“I would have preferred them to just take the poster. But to set fire to the house? That goes too far. “
Gipson’s 21-year-old son first made the discovery when he smelled smoke during a midnight trip to the bathroom on Dec. 9, NBC News reported.
Then the couple hurried to find their Nissan Optima and Kia Forte on fire at their entrance.
They also noticed “Trump 20” spray-painted on the garage door and the “Black Lives Matter” sign in the garden with the same red spray paint used in his home.
“It’s definitely a hate crime,” Gipson told NBC News.
Little Elm firefighters finally put out the flames. Photos of the incident show that the car’s windshields were partially shattered and the front bumpers turned to ash.
The Little Elm police department has opened an incendiary investigation into the matter.
There have been no arrests.