ROCHESTER — Minnesota Representative for District 25A, Kim Hicks, and her family woke up to an unexpected nightmare on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024.

Hicks’ political signs, house and shed were all vandalized in the night by masked assailants. Hicks said she knows this was a targeted attack.

“This was planned. It wasn’t like they drove by and we’re like, ‘oh my gosh, we’re gonna terrorize some political signs.’ This was targeted against my family. It is a hate crime. Rochester has been having a bit of a racial reckoning and I think it’s important that we say it out loud. This is a racially motivated hate crime.”

Hicks is married to a Black man. They have children who are Black, and she says the last thing she wants was to expose her family to something like this.

“They started off by spray-painting our political signs and they use the ‘N word’ and swastikas and ‘white power’ and all of the typical racist words you would expect from white supremacists and Nazis,” Hicks said.

In addition, the vandals spray-painted and broke one of their windows. Hicks and her family immediately began trying to clean up the vandalism. She said she wanted it away from her children as soon as possible.

Katie Brekke helps clean racist graffiti off a shed on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, at Minnesota District 25A Rep. Kim Hicks’ house in Rochester.Lily Dozier / Post Bulletin

Despite the rough morning and the high emotions that came with it, Hicks said she was very moved by the support she and her family received from the community. Friends, family and community members sent messages or brought supplies to help Hicks and her family remove the damage.

“I’m so blessed because of our community,” Hicks said.”People are going to pick up paint supplies. People have offered to bring things over. Rep. Liebling brought over paint supplies. Neighbors and folks and best friends from high school, people are just showing up with supplies and help here and I just so appreciate it so, so much.”

Hicks grew up in Rochester. She was first elected in 2022 and is currently running for reelection. She said she believes the vandals represent a minority of people in the community she represents, and said this incident won’t stop her from representing the community she holds dear.

“We need to stop pretending that this isn’t a problem in our community and we need to acknowledge it and say it out loud,” Hicks said. “This is not who we are as a community. This is not okay.”

Minnesota District 25A Rep. Kim Hicks, left, reacts to Katie Brekke telling her that Brekke and her partner, James Wright, successfully removed racist graffiti from Hicks’ shed on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, at Hicks’ home in Rochester.Lily Dozier / Post Bulletin

Hicks said she has faith in the Rochester Police Department and Olmsted County attorney to find and punish the criminals involved and would love to see the community use this to come together.

“I would really like to see the Olmsted County GOP come out and say they condemn racist attacks,” Hicks said. “All of them and their endorsed candidates. I don’t think this was them. I think this was somebody who has hate deep in their heart, but I think we should all stand together and say this is wrong in our community and I would hope that they would all do that.”

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