‘Profoundly hurtful’: GOP office in Arlington Heights vandalized with swastikas and feces

Video surveillance captured two people drawing swastikas and profanities on the windows of the Wheeling Township Republican office in Arlington Heights and tossing feces by the front door Sunday.

Some of the markings in permanent black ink defaced a portrait of Charlie Kirk, the slain conservative activist. Kirk was born in Arlington Heights and volunteered at the local GOP office as a Wheeling High School student years ago.

“This attack is profoundly hurtful. Charlie Kirk has a special relationship to our organization and to this township,” said Deputy GOP Committeeman John Saletta.

“And for people to think that this is an appropriate way of expressing themselves is shocking,” he added. “There’s political speech and we have political processes, but they don’t include hate speech, violence and destruction.

“Vilifying Charlie Kirk is especially hurtful to members of our organization.”

The vandalism at the Republicans of Wheeling Township headquarters, 909 E. Rand Road, occurred just before 11 p.m. Sunday. The office’s camera system recorded a man and a woman dropping bags of feces and pouring an unknown liquid near the front door, and using markers to scrawl obscenities on the large office windows.

Officials decided to install the camera after a similar incident of vandalism on Dec. 20. Various messages were etched into the brick building and nearby support pillars about Kirk, ICE and abortion, according to Saletta.

The political organization filed reports with Arlington Heights police after both incidents. The police department put out a public alert Thursday afternoon seeking help identifying the two suspects in the criminal damage to property investigation.

It’s unknown if the people captured on video Sunday were involved in the first incident.

“Somebody should speak up or they should be encouraged to turn themselves in, because I think it’s really just a matter of time before somebody recognizes them,” Saletta said.

Don Tracy, who the Wheeling GOP has endorsed in the U.S. Senate primary, issued a statement of support Thursday calling the vandalism “upsetting and completely unacceptable.”

“Vandalism doesn’t just damage property. It’s meant to silence people, to make good citizens feel unwelcome or unsafe for participating in civic life,” Tracy said.