'Enough is enough': Former Harlem Globetrotter says his car was vandalized with racist slurs in Petaluma

"Beloved local youth basketball coach and former Harlem Globetrotter William Bullard says his truck was vandalized with racist slurs and hate symbols near his downtown Petaluma apartment complex, an incident he shared in two Instagram videos posted Tuesday. Bullard, 41, found swastikas and racist slurs etched into the dust on all of his car windows. He filed a police report and said he intends to press forward with the case if a suspect is identified."

""It is tough to deal with being a minority here in Sonoma County, where it is 1-2% Black," Bullard told The Press Democrat on Tuesday night. "With my impact within the community, to walk outside to your car and see that is really tough." Bullard said he shared the videos with his more than 30,000 Instagram followers to raise awareness about racism. "Enough is enough," he said. "Sometimes these things get swept under the rug, but for me it is very apparent that this needs to be brought to light.""

"Bullard has called Petaluma home for about five years and said he is no stranger to racism in Sonoma County, citing an incident in February where a white woman in a Petaluma grocery store called him "boy," a term long used to demean Black men. This latest incident has left him unsettled. "It makes me worry about my safety a lot because they found my truck on site and put those words on it as big as possible," he said, adding that he has always enjoyed taking walks around his neighborhood to clear his head."

William Bullard discovered swastikas and racist slurs etched into the dust on all windows of his truck near his downtown Petaluma apartment. He posted two Instagram videos showing the vandalism and filed a police report, saying he will pursue the case if a suspect is identified. Surveillance cameras in the parking garage may have captured the act, and Bullard asked police and property management to review the footage. Bullard described living as a minority in Sonoma County as difficult and said the incident has raised concerns about his personal safety. He has a long career with the Harlem Globetrotters and coaches youth basketball, serving as a mentor to local young people.

Read at The Mercury News