Indiana woman arrested after allegedly leaving racist and threatening note for new neighbors

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published 30 October 2018

A 63-year-old woman in Greentown, Indiana, has been arrested after allegedly leaving a racist note filled with slurs for her new neighbors. 

Deborah Cantwell was arrested Thursday and charged with criminal mischief and misdemeanor intimidation. Police say that on Oct. 13, her neighbors came home to find their house covered with toilet paper. A note was left on the door, which said, "No N—ERS wanted in this neighborhood — THIS IS A WHITE NEIGHBORHOOD — some people find N—ERS Stressful due to 33 years of NEGATIVE experience and it causes serious health issues. YOUR N—ER KID IS NOT WELCOME." The letter also urged the family to sell their house.

The homeowner, Amy Pundt, launched a GoFundMe to pay for home security and an attorney, Time reports. She called the incident a "hate crime," and said her biracial son is "facing bigotry and hatred at a level I can't even fathom." When Cantwell was interviewed by police on Oct. 18, she admitted to being behind the letter, the Kokomo Tribune says, and told officers she wanted the family to know they were not welcome. "I'm not a violent person so I didn't think it was any big deal," she said.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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