A rally against hate was held Saturday in Dow Park in Jamestown.

JAMESTOWN — Dozens turned out for a rally Saturday at Dow Park in Jamestown to proclaim “Hate Has No Home Here.”

The gathering, beginning at 11 a.m. and organized by the Jamestown Justice Coalition, was in response to the recent vandalism of statues that are part of a tableau recognizing the Underground Railroad movement and its ties to the city.

Among those who spoke during the rally was Paul Leone, a local historian who outlined Jamestown’s important role in the Underground Railroad movement and why the tableau is significant. The statues honor Silas Shearman, the acknowledged leader of the Underground Railroad line through Jamestown, and Catherine Harris, a free Black woman and station master whose home on West Seventh Street is the site of a historical marker.

One of the three statues that make up the monument was stolen in the spring, and organizers of the rally believe the recent vandalism represents an escalation and the spreading of fear in the community.

The Jamestown Police Department last week said it was investigating the incident with the aid of the FBI. The vandalism included drawing a Swastika and the words “White Power” on the statues created by the late David Poulin.

“The hateful, racist, anti-Semitic act of vandalism on the Underground Railroad tableau is detestable, and morally reprehensible,” said Timothy Jackson, chief of the Jamestown Police Department.

Anyone with any information regarding the vandalism or theft is asked to call the Jamestown Police Department at 483-7537 or the anonymous tips line at 483-8477. Information can also be left through the Tips 411 app.

See Monday’s edition for complete coverage.