Graffiti leaves hateful message on home

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Ruth A. Allen stands next to graffiti left at the doorway of her Elmwood Park home. | David Pollard~Sun-Times Media

Updated: February 20, 2012 8:26AM

Ruth A. Allen of Elmwood Park embraces diversity, and she believes the symbols recently spray-painted on her front door reveal that others don’t share her point of view.

On Jan. 7, she filed a police report with the Elmwood Park Police Department after discovering “KKK,” a swastika and “NL” spray-painted on her front door on the 1600 block of 76th Avenue.

Elmwood Park Deputy Police Chief Andrew Hock said the department is taking the incident seriously, and investigators are looking into it.

He said the village previously has had problems with graffiti, but not to this extent.

“It was an isolated incident,” he said. “They’ve had no other incidents there before. I can’t remember anything like this going on in the village before.”

Allen, who owns a real estate business in the village, said she has received negative responses over the years from neighbors about the race of friends of her son, who is now 21 years old.

She said that on several occasions, her son’s African-American friends come by to visit her son.

“One time I had a neighbor look me in the face and ask me why my son associates with (a racial slur) and Puerto Ricans,” she said.

Hock said, on occasion, there have been a lot of young people at the residence, and police were called there when things became a bit rowdy, but nothing serious happened.

Allen has reached out to a friend, the Rev. Darius Brooks of Grace Central Church in Bellwood and the musical director for Rainbow PUSH Coalition, who had to tell Allen what “NL” stood for.

“This (incident) is going to bust things wide open,” Brooks said.

Allen, who owns Elite REO Group, said she has also been scrutinized for speaking her mind, having a diverse staff and setting up her business close to Village Hall.

“I’m a threat because I’m outspoken,” she said. “I dare open up in the circle (Conti Parkway).”

Neighbors on her block said there has never been an incident like this before, and the block is usually very quiet.

Phil Tondelli, who lives next door to Allen and has lived on the block for 29 years, was surprised at what was written on the door when he saw it for the first time.

“That’s hateful,” he said. “Most of the people on this block have been here for a long time, and we really don’t have too many issues. I feel sad for Ruth.”

Allen has yet to remove the racial slurs and symbols from her door and wonders why someone would do something like this.

“If anybody would have told me this is what I’d be going through, I’d be gone a long time ago,” she said. “I think the whole thing is just pitiful. I’m ashamed of this community.”