Crime & Safety

Police Make Arrest in Concord Racist Graffiti Case

Raymond Stevens of Pembroke has been charged with criminal mischief, special felony.

Concord Police have arrested a man that they believe was involved in a number of racist graffiti incidents in the South End of Concord in 2011 and 2012.

Raymond Stevens aka Raynard Stevens, 42, of Pembroke, was arrested on Oct. 15, and charged with criminal mischief, special felony. He refused bail and will be arraigned later today. 

UPDATE: Police Chief: Graffiti Vandal Faces 10-30 Years

Find out what's happening in Concordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The incidents first occurred in September 2011, when graffiti was scrawled on the side of homes on Perley and Downing streets in Concord where New African Americans were living. A number of press updates were issued about the case as police tried to find the person responsible for the graffiti. 

The Concord community also came together in the wake of the incident, forming the Love Your Neighbor coalition, in an effort to dampen the effects of the graffiti on the community. 

A second incident hit the home of a family on Thompson Street in August 2012.

More Love Your Neighbor events were held in the city in the wake of the second incident

In all three incidents, police allege that Stevens was "motivated to commit the crime because of hostility towards the victims’ race and national origin." Stevens, the police noted, lived in the South End at the time of the incidents. 

The department will hold the press conference at 3 p.m.

Concord NH Patch will have an update later today after the press conference.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.