Last Saturday, I took an early morning walk on the Eastern Promenade in Portland and came upon racist graffiti painted on benches and the path itself, including the N-word and the F-word.

Many folks were running and walking on the trail, seemingly oblivious to these hateful words. At first I was just angry. Then I decided to call the Portland police. To their credit, they were on the scene within 15 minutes.

I want to thank them for their quick and thoughtful response. Similarly, I remain hopeful that we in Maine will continually and peacefully confront any sort of bigotry and racism in our state. Our brothers and sisters of all colors and creeds have a right to feel safe and free in our state. It is “the way life should be”!

Chris Baumann

Scarborough