Racist graffiti found on East Lake Sammamish bike trail sparks outrage in Issaquah
Jan 27, 2025, 6:39 AM
A biker rides along the East Lake Sammamish bike trail in Issaquah. (Photo courtesy of Washington Trails Association)
(Photo courtesy of Washington Trails Association)
Offensive, racist graffiti was found alongside the East Lake Sammamish bike trail in Issaquah Sunday morning, something residents claim has become a recurring issue.
“Unfortunately, when I hit the junction between the Issaquah Fall City bike path and the Lake Sammamish bike trail, I saw some pretty offensive, Nazi, ‘Heil Hitler’ graffiti right off the bike path,” Josh, a local resident and frequent biker in the area, told KIRO 7 after stumbling upon the graffiti.
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The community quickly painted over the graffiti later that Sunday, but, according to Josh and others, this isn’t the first time hateful language was tagged in that area.
“It’s the second or third time I have seen stuff like this in the area,” Josh told KIRO 7. “It seems there are one or more folks living in Issaquah who are pretty racist.”
“On all these columns, there’s just graffiti all the time,” Mario Coll, another Issaquah resident, added. “I saw like ‘White Power’ spray painted on that one like a few weeks ago.”
The community has asked for both Public Works and the local police department to take these reports of offensive graffiti more seriously, with some suggesting cameras should be installed along the trail to catch the taggers.
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Public Works in Issaquah does provide a way for residents to report any graffiti they see via an online portal on its website.
“They’re painting over it pretty quick,” Coll, another local resident, told KIRO 7. “But it keeps coming back.”
KIRO 7 has reached out to Issaquah city leaders, including the mayor and city manager, regarding how the city plans to combat this growing issue. No response has been given, as of this reporting.
Contributing: KIRO 7
Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest and producer of the Seattle Seahawks podcast, The Reset with Gee Scott. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.
