Community members in Old Town Lansing are coming together to spread love and acceptance after a hate incident.
Last week, a masked individual spray painted racist and homophobic messages on neighborhood businesses.
Over the weekend, members of a group of lighthearted pranksters that go by STUPID Lansing put up dozens of hearts around the impacted area that read “all people deserve love” in response to the vandalism.
When WKAR News spoke with a member of STUPID Lansing, they asked to remain anonymous.
They said they just want to make people smile.
"Positivity breeds more positivity," they said. "If you meet anger with hostility, it generally breeds more anger and hostility, which is the last thing that we want."
Odd Nodd Art Supply employee Erin Simonson said love has been pouring out of Old Town since these pranksters struck.
"Not only was the graffiti cleaned up, but the response was, we're going to put love everywhere you put hate, because that's how Old Town is," Simonson said.
On the third Thursday of this monthas part of a nighttime shopping event, participating businesses will donate 10% of their profits to local charities that promote diversity, equality and kindness.
