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Swastika burned into lawn
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The swastika was burned into the lawn of Evelyn Swart, 702 N. Lake, on Monday, three days after she had withdrawn the suggestion she had made to the council in May. Swart’s lawn at 702 N. Lake has four spots where the grass has been burned, including a swastika that is about 3 feet across, said her husband, Don. Sheriff Fred Steen would neither confirm nor deny the existence of the swastika, or if an investigation was being conducted. “We’re looking into some things that occurred there,” he said. Don Swart said he discovered the gasoline smell about midnight Sunday. He said that the next day he could see the grass beginning to wilt, but it wasn’t until Tuesday that he recognized the significance of it and called the Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office. In May, Evelyn Swart had suggested to the Joseph City Council that it might want to consider an ordinance regulating special events in the city. The council passed a first reading in order to open the issue for public comment in July. The proposal created a negative reaction from many in the business community, even though no law had been passed. On June 27 Evelyn Swart wrote a letter to the Joseph City Council rescinding her request for consideration of the proposal. Monday night the Joseph City Council voted 5-0 to discontinue the public hearing process on the draft ordinance. The outcry directed against Evelyn had caused her so much stress, Don Swart said that he left the lawnmower over the swastika and decided not to tell her about it until Thursday when he began digging up the dead part of the yard. “I guess it’s one of the things that can happen with things that people don’t like,” he said. Rumors that a threatening note had also been left on the lawn could not be confirmed or denied. |
