By Dan Calabrese —— Bio and Archives September 20, 2017
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The Royal Oak Police Department has identified the individual responsible for the racist graffiti discovered on several Royal Oak homes on Sunday morning. During the course of this investigation, it became obvious to investigators the individual in question was in need of immediate help for what seems to be serious mental health issues. The Royal Oak Police Department arranged to have this person evaluated by mental health professionals, and we are currently working with state agencies to get this individual in a long-term treatment center. Although this case is shocking and disturbing to our community, based on the totality of the circumstances and the facts the investigators were able to determine, the police department will not be pursuing charges at this time. This crime appears to be a cry for help from a very troubled individual. Crimes of this nature are extremely rare in Royal Oak and are not a reflection of our community. Make no mistake, the Royal Oak Police Department will aggressively investigate any instance of individuals threatening or intimidating our residents or guests. In this case, however, the motivation of the individual responsible was not what might seem obvious by the hateful message.Now the police did not come right out and say, "This was a hoax perpetrated by liberal social justice warriors." So let's deal with what they did tell us.
A man who painted swastikas and “White Power” on cars, homes and fences in Royal Oak earlier this week is an Asian American resident with mental health issues, police said Wednesday.
The graffiti, which was discovered Sunday morning in several locations near Woodward between 11 Mile and Catalpa, was painted by a man in his early 20s, according to Royal Oak police Chief Corrigan O’Donohue. O’Donohue said the man has “mental health issues,” and that police would not pursue criminal charges against him. “He’s obviously confused,” O’Donohue said. “The decision to handle it the way we’re handling it is because it’s more appropriate to get him mental health help than pursue charges.” O’Donohue said the man, who lives with his parents, has a criminal record. “It’s mostly drug crimes and some minor theft,” he said. “He has a drug problem and needs help. His parents want him to get help, and this is a way to make sure he gets it. “We don’t think this was a hoax,” O’Donohue said. “We don’t think in this individual’s mind it was a hate crime, even though most people would assume it to be, including me when I first saw it.”
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