The City of Fort Wright vocally condemned a recent act of vandalism at the home of a local couple at the city’s council meeting this week. Neighbors and city leaders spoke out at the meeting, expressing their support for the couple, who are women, and the council approved a resolution condemning the acts and others like them.
Elise Sebastian, one of the owners of the vandalized house, also addressed the city council, asking them to consider the passage of a fairness ordinance, which she believed would discourage similar incidents in the future.
Police investigation of the crime is ongoing.
“The vandalized house was once the home of my best friend, which makes this even more personal for me,” Mayor David Hatter said in a statement at the beginning of the meeting.
“As mayor of the city of Fort right, I’m outraged, disgusted and deeply concerned by this criminal act,” Hatter also said, adding that he wanted “every resident of and visitor to Fort Wright [to feel] safe and welcome here and is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their race, religion, gender or orientation. There’s simply no place in Fort Wright, in Kentucky or anywhere else for the type of repugnant behavior that sadly occurred here.”
The vandalism occurred in the middle of September when someone spray painted the words “Hell is Real” on the side of Sebastian and her wife, Hannah Wintorn’s, house just below their daughter’s window.
A suspect has not yet been identified, but Police Chief Ed Butler said that the department believed the crime was at the very least motivated by bias. He said that a judge would need to determine whether the vandalism met the legal criteria for a hate crime upon additional investigation.
Sebastian and her family moved to Fort Wright about four years ago, and they’ve had a pleasant experience in the city for the most part, she said.
“We are proud of our home, and we are active, caring neighbors,” Sebastian said. “We do this as a reflection back to the community to show them the care and concern that we have witnessed and received. We’ve enjoyed living in Fort Wright for the accessibility, camaraderie and peacefulness.”
That peace was “shattered,” she said, upon seeing the vandalism by her daughter’s window.
“It is important to understand that even in a great city like Fort Wright, it is not impervious to acts of hate or discrimination,” Sebastian said.
To that end, she asked the council and the mayor to consider the passage of a fairness ordinance.
Named after the Fairness Campaign, a Louisville-based LGBTQ advocacy group, fairness ordinances vary in their details, but generally speaking they establish legal protections against discrimination based on residents’ gender identity and sexuality. In Northern Kentucky Bellevue, Cold Spring, Covington, Crescent Springs, Dayton, Elsmere, Fort Mitchell, Fort Thomas, Highland Heights and Newport have all passed fairness ordinances.
Sebastian said that the passage of such an ordinance would discourage similar acts in the future.
“It makes sense to pass a fairness ordinance in the city to really send a message that everyone is welcome,” Sebastian said. “And, perhaps, it could prevent future hateful, invasive acts from happening to other folks who reside and own property here.”
Other residents spoke out in support of Sebastian and her family. One resident, Jason Worms, also recommended that police reporting procedures be revised to ensure that acts like this came to the attention of local authorities more quickly moving forward.
Hatter recommended that anyone who fell victim to or witnessed similar acts in the future should contact the police immediately.
Anyone who has any information about the vandalism should contact the Fort Wright Police Department at (859)331-1700.
Read the full text of the city’s resolution here.
The next meeting of the Fort Wright City Council will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. at the Fort Wright City Building on Kyles Lane.