A Wheelie Bin Targeted to Spread Hate
The community of Havertown, Pennsylvania was shaken by the hate sprayed onto the wheelie bin of a resident. Esther Cohen-Eskin woke up on August 19 to a swastika drawn onto the side of her trash can. She reported the hateful vandalism to the police, but pursuing the one responsible wasn’t her end goal.
She took to Facebook to post her story online:
“I walked outside this morning to take out the trash, and on my can someone spray painted a swastika. We have lived here for almost 20 years. I have happily raised my kids and celebrated the openness and safety of this town. I am so saddened by this occurrence…”
‘Nothing Conquers Hate More Than Love’
After a friend’s suggestion, Esther decided to turn this event around. She thought of a way to transform the hateful act into a way to promote love and unity within the community. An artist, she rolled up her sleeves and painted an orange flower over the swastika. Here is a before and after shot:
Wheelie bins spread the message of recycling hate into love!
She later asked her friends and family to do the same and “turn this symbol of hate into something beautiful”.
“…I was mad, scared and angry, and then our fellow neighbor and one of my dearest friends said, ‘nothing conquers hate more than love.’ So I am asking you, in this neighborhood, (and beyond if you want to share), paint something positive on your trashcan! We can, in our little way, turn this symbol of hate into something beautiful. A flower, a peace sign, an animal, a doodle… anything your imagination can come up with.”
Her neighbours rallied to support her message and responded with paintings of love and unity of their own. They used paint, spray cans, stickers and tape onto their wheelie bins. The residents showed where they stand and shared photos of the bins with Esther and the rest of the Havertown community.
Here are a few photos shared to the Havertown website to support Esther:
Thankfully, Esther’s Facebook post didn’t stay within the community. It soon spread to other regions of the United States, as well as other countries. As a result, messages from Canada and Ireland reached Esther as well!
Esther’s husband told CBS that it was “heart-warming” and mused “It just takes a small act of goodness to make you feel better in a world where there is so much negativity.”
Feeling inspired? View our range of products at Wheelie Bins Direct2U and start a movement today or share any interesting ideas or stories with us at marketing@direct2u.co.uk.
Reference List
Antonia Blumberg. 2016. Jewish Artist Turns Swastika Vandalism Into Something Beautiful. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jewish-artist-turns-swastika-vandalism-into-something-beautiful_us_57c47e64e4b09cd22d91dc34. [Accessed 11 October 2016].
Jan Carabeo. 2016. Woman Chooses Message Of Love In Response To Hateful Vandalism On Her Property. [ONLINE] Available at: https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2016/08/24/woman-chooses-message-of-love-in-response-to-hateful-vandalism-on-her-property/. [Accessed 11 October 2016].
Christine Cavalier. 2016. Someone painted a swastika on an H-Town mom’s garbage can. Here’s how our community is responding.. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.havertownies.com/2016/08/hate-painted-over/. [Accessed 11 October 2016].
Dake Kang. 2016. Town rallies around Jewish family hit by swastika graffiti. [ONLINE] Available at:https://bigstory.ap.org/article/e7a679ae3fb544cb9f278c48f1b9066d/town-rallies-around-jewish-family-hit-swastika-graffiti. [Accessed 11 October 2016].