People in Antioch are coming together a day after a family was the victim of a hate crime.
On Wednesday, vandals spray painted a swastika and racial slur and tossed Molotov cocktails at a house with children inside.
"During my 28 years of bringing my children up, I’ve never seen something so horrific in our neighborhood," resident Valerie Blackmore said.
Police released surveillance video of a suspect lighting three Molotov cocktails at the home and running away. What's not seen in the grainy video is the suspect spray painting a swastika and the N-word on the home's exterior.
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Mayor Wade Harper, met with the community Thursday night to let residents know hate is not welcome in his city.
"This will not be allowed to happen in our city," he said. "Our police department is taking it seriously, our district attorney’s office is taking it seriously."
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Police did not attend the meeting, but the troubling incident has even drawn attention from people in nearby communities.
"This wasn’t a random act," said Chuck Carpenter, of Concord. "Someone picked a black family and tried to burn them out while they were asleep."
Willie Mims, of the Pittsburg Black Political Association, said, "We need to be discussing the whole issue of race, not only in this city but in this whole country."
Mayor Harper has asked residents to get to know each other and participate in neighborhood watch programs.
