Black family’s cars burned and spray-painted with Trump graffiti after erecting BLM sign in yard

‘It’s definitely a hate crime,’ says Jayla Gipson

Texas police have launched an investigation after a Black family awoke last week to find their two cars on fire and “Trump 20” spray-painted on their garage door.

The family’s parents, Jayla Gipson and Charles Crawford, told WFAA that they believe the incident was triggered after they erected a Black Lives Matter sign in their front garden in Little Elm, Texas.

“That sign was in my yard for less than two weeks and then all of a sudden we get a tragedy like this,” Ms Gipson told WFAA.

“I would have preferred they just take the sign. But to set the house on fire? That’s going way too far,” she added.

Ms Gipson said that her 21-year-old son first noticed the fire at around midnight on Wednesday 9 December, when he smelled smoke after he got up to go to the bathroom.

He immediately woke up the rest of the family, and they noticed that their two cars had been set on fire in their drive.

Ms Gipson said that the whole family, including their 12-year-old daughter who was asleep in her room next to the garage, were able to leave the house unharmed.

When they got outside, the family also saw that “Trump 20” had been spray-painted onto their garage door, and that their Black Lives Matter sign had been defaced with the same red paint.

“It’s definitely a hate crime,” Ms Gipson told NBC News earlier in the week.

“It’s horrible,” she added. “Had that sign not been in my yard, I don’t think this would have ever been an incident for us.”

The local fire and police departments quickly arrived at the scene and the fires were put out. The front bumpers of the cars were burned to ashes during the incident.

Officers from the Little Elm Police Department interviewed neighbours and canvassed the scene, but have not yet determined a motive or declared whether they believe it was a hate crime.

Police chief Rodney Harrison told the Little Elm Journal: “We’re working with our federal partners to get through it, and we’re working a lot of different angles to see what took place.” He added: “We’re looking at all possible angles.”

Ms Gipson said that the cars were both declared as total losses, with the combined damage estimated to be around $70,000 (£51,765).

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family by their neighbours in order to cover the cost of the damages. It has so far raised $21,595 (£15,969).

Ms Gipson told NBC that she was grateful for the support from people in the community, but said that no one deserves the treatment they suffered because of differing opinions.

“My life does matter, and regardless of how anyone feels or what their beliefs or opinions is — it’s something that I’m voicing to the universe,” she said.

Ms Gipson added: “Black lives matter.”