AUSTIN, Texas — Following a Sunday morning break-in at the Austin NAACP headquarters, Austin police said based on preliminary information and the current status of the investigation, there is no evidence to suggest the incident was a hate crime. The case is being investigated as a burglary.
At the NAACP office, it's a scary sight – shattered windows and the hard, cold evidence of a brick left behind.
"You can't explain the feeling when you see something like that in this business," Austin NAACP President Nelson Linder said.
Linder said what's odd is only a few items were stolen, including his favorite guitar and three laptops, but two were found in good condition next to the office.
"But the big stuff, it was all left – sound system, amplifier – which is very interesting," Linder said. "This indicates very petty stuff, personal animosity and that kind of thing."
The activist said the organization gets hate calls and threats all the time, but this seems personal and not racially motivated.
"Hate in terms of race, ideology, no," Linder said. "Hate in terms of that personal animosity and don't like the organization, yes – and that transcends skin color."
While it was initially thought to be a potential hate crime by Linder, Austin police said there is no evidence to suggest the break-in was a hate crime.
"We think we got an idea who might have done this already," Linder said. "It's going to surprise a lot of people."
Incidents like these will get more attention from the City of Austin now that leaders have launched an anti-hate campaign called "We All Belong."
On the We All Belong website, Austinites have multiple resources in one place. The site explains what a hate crime is, how to file a report and victim services. It also tracks where hate crimes are reported in Austin by year and council district.
Councilmember Alison Alter (District 10) hopes having all of this information together will help people feel more comfortable speaking up.
"There's absolutely hate crimes and hate incidents that are happening in our community that are not being reported," Alter said. "We deploy resources based on, you know, the demand for those resources, so the more that people report, the better sense we have of how we can deploy."
As for Linder, he wishes APD got the evidence faster. The department said on Sunday, July 23, at approximately 8:02 a.m., someone called 911 regarding a possible break-in at the NAACP office. APD officers responded at 8:50 a.m. and took an initial scene report.
While APD said officers attempted multiple times to contact the business owner but were unsuccessful, Linder said he didn't get any calls from APD that morning. APD said at around 10:43 a.m., 911 received another call regarding a break-in at the same location. However, officers had already taken the report and been on the scene, so the officers did not return.
Linder said APD didn't gather evidence until Monday morning – 24 hours after the event.
"I think that needs to be looked at very closely," Linder said. "If it's a hate crime, or even people just angry, there's a danger there that requires a certain kind of assistance as fast as possible."
Linder said he respects that officers did what they could when they could, but the system is flawed. He also added, "I think when you look at public safety, beyond manpower, there are constables here, certainly not DPS, the other agencies here that might work together in the city to get things done a little quicker, a little faster based on knowing the city and the community setup."
If anyone has tips regarding this incident, they can call 512 974-6941.