Omaha police investigating hate crime at Zorinsky Park

Omaha, NE — The City of Omaha says it's now investigating what happened at Zorinsky Park late Tuesday night.

Someone spray-painted the n-word and swastikas all over the grass there. The act has been deemed a hate crime by the city.

The images have been cleaned up from the park, but now it's on the internet.

The anti-defamation league of Omaha says it's best to condemn these types of things, but warns that sharing the actual images can be hurtful.

Megan Bennett says she was disgusted when she saw images of the n-word, a drawing of a man hanging and multiple swastikas painted on the grass at Zorinsky park.

So, she shared the pictures on social media, condemning the acts.

"It's a heartbreaking thing to see because you think about how other people in the community that have to live their lives being triggered by these kinds of things that they see and witness and are on the receptive end of," says Bennett.

Many felt sharing the images of the hate crime was unnecessary, even though she was standing against what was done.

"It's certainly an act of hate provocation but I don't think anybody feels that this is something that they associate with or hopefully not associate within a favorable light," says Gary Nachman, the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.

Nachman says the first thing a person should do if they come across a hate crime is report it to the police.

While sharing the image to condemn it might feel like the right thing to do, he says it does more harm than good.

"That's giving a platform to people who don't deserve a platform and 3rd is within your own family is to educate and to make sure that people understand that we condemn these kinds of acts of hate in the strongest form," says Nachman.

Bennett says she thought a long time about how sharing the images could hurt someone but she says she also thinks it's important that people see exactly what's happening with their own eyes.

She says, "I want to be considerate of other people that are on the receiving end of these kinds of acts of violence and aggression, but I think transparency is the only way to create change."

The City of Omaha did issue out a statement condemning the act as well.

The Jewish Center is also working with the police to bring the person who committed the crime to justice.