LOCAL NEWS

Farmington police investigate disturbing signs as possible hate crime

Feb 11, 2022, 5:03 PM | Updated: Jun 13, 2022, 4:21 pm

FARMINGTON, Utah — Police in Farmington say someone is spreading messages of hate in their city and it needs to stop. 

People have reported multiple signs on city property around Farmington Pond and the Lagoon trail. 

The theme behind them is ‘white lives matter’ but they took it a step further. 

Amanda Riddle’s morning walk down the trail was interrupted after she and her husband saw the message. 

“We noticed the second sign posted on the back of this, ‘white lives matter.’”, she read off the sign. “And ‘diversity is code for anti-white.’ That was really concerning.” 

She said they spotted two of them leaving behind some rather disturbing rhetoric, the other said ‘white nations are safe nations’ and  ‘we are not a melting pot.’ 

Riddle said, “A lot of effort and energy used to promote this and I’m sure there’s more out there that we didn’t come across.” 

Police found at least eight more. 

“Each of those signs that we find, we’re photographing and we document and we’re taking an incident report on. And we’re going to investigate as much as we can to identify who did this,” said Farmington Police Sgt. Brian Cooper.  

Cooper said it’s vandalism on city property, criminal mischief, and could be screened by prosecutors as a possible hate crime.  

“But there certainly is a racial motivation behind the posting of these signs. There’s no question about that,” he added. 

Cooper said this is not what the Farmington community is about. 

“To any minorities in our community, our police department supports you and will protect you,” he said. 

Riddle said it’s not enough to simply walk by and quietly disagree. 

“It’s not fair for people to feel unwelcome and unsafe in their community,” she explained. 

Cooper said there aren’t any known threats out of these signs but police would like to hear from anyone who sees more of them, or who has any information. 

KSL 5 TV Live

Local News

Rasmussen family in the 70s. Left to right back row: David, Jordan, and DeAnn Rasmussen, and Dora R...

Amy Donaldson, KSL Podcasts

Life Sentences: The Letter explores grief, trauma and lingering effects

As time passed after the murders detailed in season 2 of “The Letter,” the families of Buddy Booth and Jordan Rasmussen continued to wrangle with their grief and trauma.

15 minutes ago

Head coach Lynne Roberts of the Utah Utes....

Josh Furlong, KSL.com

Prosecutors won’t charge man who yelled racial epithets at Utah basketball team

Coeur d'Alene prosecutors have declined to charge an 18-year-old high school student who confessed to yelling racial epithets at the University of Utah women's basketball team.

29 minutes ago

Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho. (Larry D. Curtis, KSL TV)...

Emily Ashcraft, KSL.com

Alex Cox’s wife describes fringe religious teachings from Chad and Lori Daybell

One of the women who listened to what Chad Daybell taught to his followers testified in court Tuesday that he believed some people had been "exalted" and did not need to repent of any wrongdoing, including himself and Lori Vallow Daybell.

2 hours ago

Certain candies have been recalled at multiple store locations including in Utah due to Salmonella ...

Eliza Pace

Candies sold at Target, Walmart and other retailers recalled due to salmonella contamination

Certain candies have been recalled at multiple store locations including in Utah due to Salmonella contamination.

3 hours ago

Law enforcement from around the state gather at the Utah Medical Examiner's Office in Taylorsville ...

Eliza Pace

Funeral for Santaquin police officer scheduled for Monday

The funeral for Sgt. Bill Hooser, who was killed in the line of duty over the weekend, will be held on Monday, May 13.

4 hours ago

A waterline break is impacting travel on 12600 South in Riverton. (City of Riverton)...

Mark Jones

Traffic being impacted by waterline break in Riverton

Riverton officials said a waterline break occurred Tuesday afternoon.

4 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

Electrician repairing ceiling fan with lamps indoors...

Lighting Design

Stay cool this summer with ceiling fans

When used correctly, ceiling fans help circulate cool and warm air. They can also help you save on utilities.

Side view at diverse group of children sitting in row at school classroom and using laptops...

PC Laptops

5 Internet Safety Tips for Kids

Read these tips about internet safety for kids so that your children can use this tool for learning and discovery in positive ways.

Women hold card for scanning key card to access Photocopier Security system concept...

Les Olson

Why Printer Security Should Be Top of Mind for Your Business

Connected printers have vulnerable endpoints that are an easy target for cyber thieves. Protect your business with these tips.

Modern chandelier hanging from a white slanted ceiling with windows in the backgruond...

Lighting Design

Light Up Your Home With These Top Lighting Trends for 2024

Check out the latest lighting design trends for 2024 and tips on how you can incorporate them into your home.

Technician woman fixing hardware of desktop computer. Close up....

PC Laptops

Tips for Hassle-Free Computer Repairs

Experiencing a glitch in your computer can be frustrating, but with these tips you can have your computer repaired without the stress.

Close up of finger on keyboard button with number 11 logo...

PC Laptops

7 Reasons Why You Should Upgrade Your Laptop to Windows 11

Explore the benefits of upgrading to Windows 11 for a smoother, more secure, and feature-packed computing experience.

Farmington police investigate disturbing signs as possible hate crime