Montgomery Community Media

Sean Urbanski, the former University of Maryland student who was charged with fatally-stabbing Richard Collins III on-campus in 2017, was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday with the possibility of parole. Urbanski, 25, could be considered for parole after he serves 15 years, The Washington Post reported. The governor would have to approve if […]

The back of a car parked on Montgomery Avenue in Takoma Park had a swastika spray painted on it, according to Takoma Park Police. On Dec. 18, police responded to a report of vandalism to a car. Police are calling the incident a hate crime. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked […]

A synagogue in Rockville was vandalized March 28. Swastikas and hate-based words were spray painted on Tikvat Israel Congregation, which is located on Baltimore Road, according to Montgomery County Police. During the early morning hours of March 28, a suspect drove to the synagogue’s parking lot and painted the derogatory messages. The suspect can be […]

Kate Bradley, the principal of Bannockburn Elementary School in Bethesda, emailed parents Wednesday about a swastika and curse word found drawn inside a boys bathroom stall. According to Bradley, the “a 5th grade patrol” officer discovered the expletive and antisemitic symbol Tuesday in the bathroom located in Green Hallway, which is primarily for 4th and 5th-grade […]

Montgomery County police believe two masked men targeted a robbery victim based on his perceived sexual orientation, and detectives are investigating the incident as a hate crime, a police statement says. The robbery occurred about 10:17 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, in the 900 block of Navahoe Drive in Silver Spring, police said. The two men […]

Jack Smith, the superintendent for Montgomery County Public Schools, addressed the recent acts of hate that have occurred in the high schools. Since December, there have been four known instances of hate at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, and Winston Churchill High School in Potomac. Richard Montgomery’s principal confirmed that in January, the school […]

Two swastikas were drawn on a desk at Winston Churchill High School, according to a note the principal sent to families. Security at the Potomac school as well as the school resource officer immediately began an investigation and the graffiti was removed by the building services team, the letter says. “We were able to identify […]

Richard Montgomery High School emailed parents this weekend about two hate crimes that occured on school grounds over the course of a month. The most recent incident involved a swastika that was spray painted in orange on “the side of a school building facing the stadium.” In the letter sent to families, Kiera Butler, Richard […]

Montgomery County has approved $200,000 for the Faith-based Facilities Security Operating Grant. The grant aims to cover security costs for faith-based communities―such as churches, synagogues, mosques, etc.―experiencing hate crimes. The county has officially opened the application for faith communities to apply for a grant of up to $20,000. Not only does the grant cover the cost […]

A bill before the Maryland House of Delegates aims to prevent hate-bias incidents at colleges and universities. The legislation, introduced Jan. 26 and sponsored by a number of delegates, would require public institutions of higher education to implement and develop programs to prevent hate-based incidents and provide training in cultural diversity. If the law passes, schools […]