Chicago police are investigating anti-LGBTQ graffiti that was discovered on a home in the Rogers Park neighborhood Wednesday morning.
A photo posted to the Rogers Park Neighborhood News group on Facebook shows the anti-gay slur painted on a brick wall beneath a window where a rainbow flag is displayed. Police said the incident took place on the 1400 block of West Arthur.
Two women, ages 50 and 54, who filed a report with police said the building was tagged sometime between 8 p.m. Tuesday and 7 a.m. Wednesday morning.
City workers removed the graffiti later in the day, police said.
The hateful tag was discovered just a few hours after a man was arrested for allegedly spray-painting buildings in the same neighborhood. But he has not been charged in connection with the anti-gay incident.
Just after midnight on Wednesday, police were called to the 6400 block of North Greenview by a resident who saw a man defacing property in an alley. Police arrived and found 22-year-old Kartik Kulkarni with paint on his clothing and skin that matched paint that was used to deface nearby buildings, police said.
Kulkarni, who lives in the immediate neighborhood, was arrested and charged with two counts of misdemeanor criminal defacement of property with paint. The police report documenting Kulkarni’s arrest does indicate any hate motivation or the presence of anti-LGBTQ writings, police said.
Area North detectives are investigating the anti-LGBTQ incident.
No photo was available of Kulkarni because Chicago Police Department policy prohibits the immediate release of mugshots for individuals who are charged only with misdemeanors.
