Afton home hit with anti-gay graffiti

An Afton, Minn., home was vandalized last weekend when someone painted the words “HIV,” “AIDS,” “gay” and “Help,” in large green letters. Ross Sveback says he was leaving for work last Sunday and noticed the graffiti.

“I was disgusted that this person felt the need to go out of their way to do this,” he said.

Police say they have a suspect in mind, and that the case could be turned over for a hate crime investigation.

According to Sveback, the incident is unusual in the friendly community of Afton. “It has always seemed to be a great place to live, this is the first time I have encountered this in Afton.”

Sveback says it was important to make sure people are aware of such incidents. “I am in the process of starting up a TV show that is going to air in the fall, so I was not sure if I should bring this to light or not,” he said. “I decided that I needed to stand up about it and risk losing the show instead of this getting swept under a rug.”

He continued, “I appreciate anyone that is willing to speak up about making sure everyone is treated in a humane way.”