New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is directing the State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to help investigate a slew of racist graffiti spray-painted on a railroad bridge in Saranac Lake. The move comes after the head of the state’s Adirondack Diversity Initiative announced she is moving out of the village, saying she feels unsafe living in the area as a black person.
Nicky Hylton-Patterson tells the Adirondack Daily Enterprise that she feels the graffiti, which included expletives and racial slurs, was directed at her. She says she plans to keep her position, but is moving to an undisclosed location. The graffiti has since been painted over, and Saranac Lake’s mayor has apologized for not disavowing it immediately. The Hate Crimes Task Force will be assisting Saranac Lake police in the investigation.