After the shock of discovering offensive words and pictures spray-painted on the family home Monday morning, Esi Lewis had the presence of mind to contact law enforcement and members of the press with the information, but for the most part declined to answer any follow-up questions from journalists. Lewis did, however, grant an interview to this Hudson Valley One reporter.

The New Paltz town council member was setting off to drop Lewis’ nine-year-old at school when the pair saw the graffiti scrawled in dark spray paint on their house, which included crude sexual imagery, a profane instruction regarding an intimate act, and that nine-year-old’s name. They were both deeply disturbed, Lewis confirmed. “We are afraid to be home.”

Many in the community — certainly the scores who packed the to

See Full Page