A center for young southeast Asian kids was broken into by vandals, and a noose hung from the rafters.

Sarath Suong, executive director at Providence Youth Student Movement (PrYSM) in Rhode Island, said the vandalism occurred between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning.

And while most of the vandalism was mostly minor, like chairs being stacked on top of each other and scissors and rulers being arranged weirdly, there was something far more violent:

A noose hanging from the ceiling.

Suong said: ‘Maybe it was a prank, but IT IS NOT funny. But I don’t think it’s a joke, I think we were sent a CLEAR message. But here’s our message back:

‘Fuck you. You will not intimidate us, you will not steer us away from our mission, you will never dampen our spirit. You have only motivated us even more. We will continue to fight for justice and defend our community,our families, and our people.

‘Oh, and fuck you.’

PrYSM, which was founded in 2001, ‘mobilizes queer Southeast Asian youth, families, and allies to build grassroots power and organize collectively for social justice.’

They add: ‘Southeast Asian American history in Providence, RI is filled with both struggle and hope. As our communities continue to grow and develop, we have found resilience to be our greatest strength.

‘However, we continue to face systemic oppression that keeps our communities disenfranchised. Providence Youth Student Movement envisions a strong, healthy Southeast Asian community free from state, street, and interpersonal violence.