SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — Justin Meise was on vacation with his family when he got an unexpected call. His house had been vandalized.
"It's definitely not something you want to come home to," he shared.
A friend who was caring for the family's dogs alerted Justin to the situation, saying, "He walked past, seeing everything that you see on this brick, also on the window."
The graffiti included racial slurs and other explicit language.
Meise criticized the seriousness of the act, stating, "If you were going to T-P or egg a home, that's different. But spray painting, you really take it to the next level."
He is now faced with the daunting task of removing the graffiti. If his elbow grease doesn't cut it, Meise estimates that it could cost thousands of dollars to repaint the entire house.
"We're going to have to figure out how to get this off this brick," he noted.
Police have reported that at least 11 houses in three neighborhoods were targeted over the weekend, with blue and yellow paint being the common denominator in the acts of vandalism.
Watch: Sheboygan neighborhoods targeted by graffiti vandals
Meise's home was not the only one affected; Amanda MacDuff, whose mother's home was hit even harder, described the extent of the vandalism: "The whole front door, the windows there were completely covered."
MacDuff, along with neighbors, took action to remove the graffiti from her mother’s home. However, remnants of the vandalism remain visible even after their clean-up efforts.
"It's funny for a moment. But the financial side of it, the emotional side of it, the time it takes for everybody to take care of this," MacDuff said, is not worth it.
The Sheboygan Police Department is urging anyone with information or video on this graffiti spree to come forward by calling 920-459-3333.
Meanwhile, the affected neighbors have a message for the vandals.
Meise: "You really have to think about what you do and how it impacts everybody's life. Try to consider other people above yourself."
MacDuff: "This neighborhood is watched. Now, it's going to be watched a lot harder."
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