A flyer for school board candidate Cameron Trent was found vandalized with the words “No N*ggers run” and his face completely sketched out with what looks to be a black marker.
The flyer was found by one of Trent’s family members.
“On Mother’s Day, my family and I get together for a family brunch at my aunt’s house,” recalled Trent. “While I was getting ready to leave, my uncle’s girlfriend went into the mailbox to leave something for her son. She then found the flyer. I can’t say for sure, but I haven’t heard of anyone else receiving anything in the mail, so it seems like I was the target.”
Trent, a Black 23-year-old Bellport native, is no stranger to the school district. The Bellport High School 2015 graduate ran for school board in 2016. He lost twice before getting the chance to serve the last two years of a term for a departing trustee. Trent said he has been subject to racism online before, but this was different.
“Nothing like this has ever happened,” said Trent. “This was my first time sending out a mailing piece with my face on it though. There have always been racist things said about me on social media and it got really bad over the course of this race.”
The incident has been reported to the Suffolk County police and they are looking into the matter.
“[The incident] is currently classified as a hate incident and it is being investigated by the Hate Crimes Unit,” said a department spokesman in an email to Newsday. “As of now we have not developed the information necessary to classify it as a hate crime, but we are continuing to investigate and we are seeking any information from the public to assist in our investigation.”
The police ask that if anyone has any leads to report it to Suffolk County’s fifth precinct. Despite the incident, Trent has secured his seat on the school board for another three years and plans on continuing to work on improving the students’ experiences in South Country.
