Cedar Rapids, Iowa (AP) — Police in Cedar Rapids are investigating the spray painting of a racial slur on the front of a vacant rental house as a hate crime. Police received a call about the vandalism Tuesday morning, eliciting an angry reaction from Police Chief Wayne Jerman, who told The Gazette he was “disgusted and furious that someone would do this.” Local police are working with the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office to see whether federal hate crime laws apply to the case. The house has been a source of neighborhood complaints over the last year, with reports of everything from disturbances and car thefts to drive-by shootings at the home. Last year, the city declared the home a nuisance property.
