The owners of a Cherokee County therapy clinic for children with special needs say they were angry to discover obscene symbols spray-painted in the playground area.
The vandals struck at the under-construction In Harmony Pediatric Therapy clinic in Canton over the weekend, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Owners Kristi Estes and Jennifer Puckett told the news station they had hoped the good work they're trying to do would be immune to an act of what they called hatred.
The clinic offers occupational, physical, speech and music therapy to children ages birth to adolescence, according to the website. About 300 patients are seen every week and the owners told Channel 2 they’d planned to be in the new building by January.
Estes and Puckett said they discovered pictures of body parts, a swastika and pentagram marks.
“To have this in our environment — an environment where we want to show that these kids and the world we serve are just like everyone else — it's a big sign of hate and makes us very upset," they told Channel 2.
At least the children weren’t around to see the damage.
“We are so sensitive to how our patients are represented and how we represent mankind as a whole,” Estes and Puckett said. “So when you see things of hate written and symbols that stand for everything we are against ... it's infuriating."
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, text information to 274637 or visit crimestoppersatlanta.org. Tipsters can remain anonymous and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000.
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