A designer was shocked to find racist graffiti on the road as he was traversing a street near his home in Sydney.

Daniel Palmer, who is a developer by profession, found the words “death to dog eaters” written on the asphalt road in Epping, New South Wales.

“Week 2 of isolation: this s*** on my road in front of an Asian household in f***ing Epping,” was the caption for the images he posted on Twitter that Monday.

Week 2 of isolation: this shit on my road in front of an Asian household in fucking Epping. pic.twitter.com/KtFDC3vHjG — Daniel Palmer (@userlastname) March 30, 2020

Epping, a suburb with a significantly large Asian population, is among the initial hotspots of the coronavirus outbreak in Sydney, along with areas such as Ryde and Macquarie Park. While the situation has since improved in the area, the stigma for being the virus epicenter has apparently stuck.

Palmer, who is of Asian descent, said he is still unsure if the graffiti was targeting the family living near that road or the message was aimed at the entire Asian community in the area.

He added that while he doesn’t often face racism, he felt that hostility against Asians was always “lurking beneath the surface.”

Shit like this lurks beneath the surface in society, and you usually only notice it if you’re ethnic, when it creeps out in small bite-sized chunks. Rarely does it come out as clearly as this, in a way that everybody can recognise, but its existence is absolutely no surprise. — Daniel Palmer (@userlastname) March 31, 2020

“I usually find it hard to explain to my mates why somebody as utterly whitewashed as myself has crippling insecurity and anxiety around racism, even though I’ve never been bullied for being Asian,” he wrote in a tweet thread.

Props to whoever has done their best to paint over it this arvo ✊ pic.twitter.com/GIrIn1WuMb — Daniel Palmer (@userlastname) March 31, 2020

The incident has been reported as a case of “malicious damage in Epping” to the New South Wales Police, a spokesperson confirmed, MailOnline reports.

“Officers from Ryde Police Area Command have commenced an investigation and urge anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000,” the representative was quoted saying.

Feature Image via @userlastname