TENINO, Wash. - When the Phillips family was camping in the mountains this weekend, vandals spray-painted vulgar and racist messages on their house and truck, complete with the N-word and the letters 'KKK.'
"It made me want to cry when I saw it," said Heidi Russell, a neighbor. "It was terrible."
But instead of throwing a pity party for the family, Russell and other neighbors decided to throw a painting party.
They brought together dozens of families from small-town Tenino armed with paint and other supplies to erase the messages of hate and replace them with love.
"Our biggest concern was getting this done before the family came home because they have small children and we didn't want them to see their truck or their home vandalized," said Russell.
Even the town's on-duty police officer stopped by to paint.
"I'm here to protect and serve," said Officer Wilson. "It aggravates me when this happens. I'm here to make it right."
After a full morning of painting, the neighbors erased nearly all the visible signs of the vulgar messages.
That's when Marvin Phillips and his family pulled up in their camper, home from their camping trip.
"I'm overwhelmed and I'm shocked," said Phillips. "When I heard what happened, I was hurt. I don't know who did this. I was more concerned about the kids."
Thanks to the generosity of Tenino, the kids came home to a show of support -- instead of a show of intolerance.
