A Bell-based LGBTQ+ center said surveillance footage helped them identify the person suspected of throwing dog feces at the building, but police say the man’s actions do not meet standards to be considered vandalism.
The Mi SELA Services center on Florence Avenue said someone had repeatedly thrown bagged dog feces at its Bell building since May. After installing surveillance cameras, leaders from the center said they’ve pinned who the culprit is.
Despite the video evidence, Bell’s police chief said it cannot classify the case as an act of vandalism because the dog feces were bagged and because the evidence doesn’t specify the reason the building has been targeted.
“I think everybody needs to know that we’ve been in touch with the District Attorney’s office,” Bell Police Chief Damian Velasco said. “Everyone’s on the same page that at this point. There’s nothing to suggest that this business was specifically targeted because of its affiliation with the LGBTQ community.”
Dr. Wilma Franco, executive director of the center, said she was disheartened by the news.
“We understand, right? What the chief is saying in terms of based on the law, it is not (vandalism) because we don’t have other evidence that would suggest that. However, you know, sometimes we have to revisit laws.”
Police say officers have tried to contact the man in the surveillance footage and are investigating whether his actions constitute a hate crime. The man’s name has not been released.