Patriotism, tolerance and love marked a beachside rally in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Monday morning, three days after someone spray painted messages of hate on the Causeway wall.
The anti-Semitic and racist messages were washed off by Saturday morning, but the pain of what they stood for remained.
"I pity whoever wrote those vile words, because clearly, they have so much hate in their hearts that it must burn inside them," said Massachusetts Rep. Lori Ehrlich.
"When this community is challenged with hate, we rise up, we show up," said Anti-Defamation League Boston Executive Director Robert Trestan.
About a hundred people did show up, joining the Anti-Defamation League, local politicians and ministers from surrounding communities to denounce the graffiti.
"I wasn't surprised, but it should not be allowed or tolerated," said Teury Marte of Peabody.
"Love will always trump hate. No matter what, love will always prevail," added Sherry Gagne of Marblehead.
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"We need to resist and fight and continue to create a diverse and welcoming environment," said Marsha Finkelstein of Salem.
Some Marblehead residents who came out to the rally think this is a step in the right direction, but that more needs to be done to address the underlying concerns over racism and hate speech.
"We can't acknowledge one group's pain without acknowledging the other, and I felt like we were – I know we were left out of the acknowledgement and that was hurtful," said Nikki Moore of the Marblehead Racial Justice Team.
Two anonymous donors have come forward to offer a reward of $3,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for this graffiti.
