Denver's morning commute was met with a stark display of hate, as racist and anti-migrant signs were found attached to bus stops along East Colfax Avenue. The first of these signs was reported at around 5 a.m. on Thursday, according to the Regional Transportation District (RTD). Found prominently at the intersections of Oneida Street, Garfield Street, and Yosemite Street, the signs bore messages offensive to immigrants and Black individuals and additionally contained critical remarks about Vice President Kamala Harris, as reported by 9News.
The Regional Transportation District is working in concert with the Denver Police to unravel the origin of these messages, which were not merely slapped together but constructed with durability meant to give the veneer of permanence, bolted to bus stop poles with rivets. The signs "were made of metal," an RTD statement, as noted by CBS News, signifying an intent to persist had they not been quickly removed by staff. In a city like Denver, where the fabric of community is woven by diverse threads, such actions rip at the seams of our collective ethos.
Furthermore, this incident is not contained within Denver's borders. RTD officials have shared disturbing parallels with occurrences in Chicago, indicating that the signs that appeared at Chicago Transit Authority bus stops share the echo of this malign voice. RTD and Colorado officials are now coordinating with other agencies across the country as reported by The Denver Post, to "assess the magnitude of the coordinated racist activity." The implication of a wider network sets a chilling prospect that the seeds of this hate could be more widespread than initial evidence suggests.
