According to a media source, the campaign sign of an Indian-origin woman standing for a town council in the US state of North Carolina was vandalized and had a picture of a Black person's face overlaid on it.
Sarika Bansal, the lone candidate of color for the Cary Town Council this year, discovered a defaced campaign sign on Thursday, according to The News & Observer.
When Bansal learned that her campaign sign had been vandalized in the West Cary neighborhood of Highcroft Village, where she is running for office, she was present at the town council's regular meeting.
Bansal's head appeared to have been scraped off the billboard, and a picture of a Black person's face had been placed over it, according to a Friday newspaper article.
It is a class 3 misdemeanor in North Carolina to steal, deface, vandalize, or remove a political sign that has been put up legally.
Mayor Harold Weinbrecht stated in a statement that the town will "do everything we can to get to the bottom of this."
The bigoted, reprehensible behavior, according to Weinbrecht, "stands in stark contrast to the values we hold dear in Cary and will only serve to bring our community closer."
Asian Americans make up approximately 20% of Cary's resident population of 180,000, the survey claims.
West Cary needs strong leadership, according to Bansal.
She continued, "Having diversity on the Town Council will assist in delivering the change that we need today.
Bansal, a resident of Cary and a small company owner founded Raj Jewels five years ago in Morrisville. She has recently participated actively in local governance.
Bansal urged the other candidates to "commit themselves to working for a Cary that accepts people of all backgrounds and colors" in a statement on Friday.
For the District D position in the town, Bansal is competing against Ryan Eades, a current councilman, and Rachel Jordan, a recent arrival.
If chosen, Bansal would join two other women of color and no Indian Americans already serving on the town council.
On October 10, weeks before the county's election on November 7, Cary will hold its municipal election.
