Chicago police are investigating a hate crime inside the North Side Hamburger Mary’s restaurant, where a vandal spray painted “Die Fags” on a door.
Owner Ashley Wright told WMAQ-TV his first reaction upon seeing the slur was annoyance. “Literally a split second later it was just sort of this gut wrenching feeling,” he said.
“This was someone who came into my house, my establishment and spray painted a hateful message to me and my customers and staff.”
Wright painted over the graffiti with rainbow colors and the word “Love,” to send a message to the vandal and his customers.
“I’m just going to have fun with this and make this kind of a testament to — a shrine if you will — to acceptance and diversity,” said Wright.
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According to WMAQ, the perpetrator was caught on video entering the Andersonville restaurant and is believed to be a woman. That surveillance video is expected to be turned over to police as part of the investigation.
Watch the report from WMAQ by clicking here.