Greg Holmes said he felt a range of emotions when he saw one of his campaign highway signs covered in hateful vandalism on Friday.
鈥淚t wasn’t just a damaged sign,鈥� Holmes said. 鈥淚t was a level of violence and vandalism that I hadn’t seen in the county.鈥�
Holmes is running for Prince George鈥檚 County Executive. He was notified by Bowie City Police that the large sign located at Maryland Route 450 near Superior Lane was vandalized the morning of May 1.
鈥淚 don’t want anybody to have to feel the way my family and I have felt over the last couple days, because you feel like something’s being taken away from you, and that’s your freedom,鈥� he said.
Investigators said the vandal used blue painter’s tape to place a swastika over Holmes鈥� face and wrote the words 鈥淔REEMAN鈥� and 鈥淭ND,鈥� which are coded white supremacist terms.
Holmes said he believes the vandalism took time, suggesting whoever did it was deliberate.
鈥淣o other signs were damaged with that on it,鈥� he said. 鈥淒id I just get singled out? Am I being targeted?鈥�
In a , Bowie Mayor Michael Est猫ve said the city will not tolerate prejudice directed toward anyone.
鈥淪omeone tried to deface this sign. They put some painters tape on it with a message that was racist and antisemitic,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou commit vandalism, we’re going to make sure we do everything we can to find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.鈥�
Holmes said one positive outcome has been how many people have reached out, offering to replace the sign or asking to put a sign up in their yard.
鈥淧eople have been incredible,鈥� Holmes said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not so much support for me; it鈥檚 really talking about (how) we don’t want this in our county, and we don’t want people to feel like it’s OK to do this in our county.鈥�
鈥淭he message is not to be desensitized by what goes on. Be really outraged. Be pissed off,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t’s unacceptable. Somebody saw something, someone should say something.鈥�
No arrests have been made.
The Prince George’s County Homeland Security Department is leading the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
漏 2026 海角社区app. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
