Redmond woman finds racial slur written on her pickup truck, again

Second incident in three months: 'I'm going to stand up and be an advocate for my children'

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Redmond woman says someone has vandalized the back of her pickup truck with a racial slur for the second time this year – leading police to declare it a hate crime.

"So we'll wipe it off again,” Natalie Fino said Tuesday, as she removed the N-word written in dirt on her vehicle.

Fino said she can erase the message, but she cannot erase the memory.

"I’m scared now because obviously we're a target,” she told NewsChannel 21.

Fino said she’s found a racial slur written on the back of her truck twice in last three months -- the first instance coming in early January, and most recently on Friday.

"By that, I indicate that it's directed toward my household.,” she said.

Fino lives in southwest Redmond with her four children, three of whom are biracial. They also have disabilities.

Her oldest children, now 8 and 6 years old, suffer from traumatic brain injuries after a major car crash in Wasco County in 2019. Her 2-year-old has autism.

"They are the ones that noticed it,” Fino said. “It's hard to, you know, have to explain to your child that there are some people in this world that are not okay with your skin color. It's just sad."

Fino filed a police report on Friday. Redmond Police are calling this a hate crime, or a bias crime in the second degree, as it is now technically called.

Redmond police Lt. Jesse Peterson told NewsChannel 21 they believe the first incident involved a juvenile. Both are under investigation.

Police are asking for neighbors to check their video surveillance in an attempt to identify a suspect and call the Redmond Police Department through Deschutes County non-emergency dispatch, 541-693-6911, with any suspect information.

Fino said she'll be installing security cameras in case this happens again, but considered taking more extreme measures to protect her family.

"I'm not going to lie: The thought of moving has crossed my mind in the last few months,” she said. “I'm fearful of my children to live in a neighborhood where obviously people don't like them."

More than a few people questioned Fino on Facebook, asking why she couldn't just “wash it off” or “move on.”

Her response was simple:

“Instead of just sitting back and being okay with it and keeping my mouth quiet, I'm going to stand up and be an advocate for my children."