Winthrop Family Believes Car Was Vandalized Due To Race, Clinton Support

WINTHROP (CBS) – A Winthrop family's car was vandalized sometime Saturday night and they believe they were targeted because they are an interracial family who supported Hillary Clinton during the presidential election.

The car, which was parked on Cliff Avenue in Winthrop, had a large boulder thrown through its back window. The family said their daughter's car was also vandalized, but with only minor damage.

Sylvia and Maxwell Whiting woke up to the damage on Sunday morning, and are now wondering if the vandalism had to do with signs of Clinton support on their lawn and car.

"We took the sign, moved the sign. I also had a Black Lives Matter sign on my front porch. It's gone now, we put it away. You don't feel safe. I mean I don't want my windows broken, I don't want other aggressive behavior around here," said Sylvia Whiting.

"It's not the 50s. It's not the 60s. I mean this is 2016."

The Whitings are an interracial family, which heightens their concerns.

"There's a lot of things that we fought for years and years ago and I thought we were done with but I don't think we are," Maxwell Whiting said. "Seems like they're coming back again and that's not a good sign, not a comfortable feeling for me and for my family."

Winthrop Police are investigating, but at this point they tell WBZ-TV it is not yet clear what the motivation for the vandalism was.

"I know the people involved are certainly concerned that it's either politically or racially motivated," said Winthrop Police Chief Terrence Delehanty. "There's been no evidence that has been turned over to us that would indicate that it is either politically or racially motivated"

Sylvia Whiting said she hopes police are able to get to the bottom of what happened.

"It was my birthday that night, somebody comes and smashes the window in my car. Just seems like not something we wanted to be dealing with at this moment."