A passerby could ignore the swastika graffiti on the side of a building in the Whiteaker neighborhood. But a concerned member of the community chose not to turn the other way. "I was headed past where the Astro gas station is, and I immediately spotted that there was a swastika on the building."

The community member who took the photo asked not to share her full name out of concern for her safety.

"I took a picture of it because I felt like it's important to document that sort of activity in our community," she said. The swastika painted on the wall outside the gas station bathroom Thursday morning has since been painted over.

But the community member we spoke to said the damage has already been done.

"The first concern I had was for the folks who are minorities in the community who are going to see that and feel immediately threatened," she said.

The Eugene Police are investigating. Melinda McLaughlin with Eugene Police said graffiti can fall under a number of categories, including bias crime as long as it’s proven. "They generally fall under the line of criminal mischief as far a crime goes unless you can establish there is bias element to it and a motivation to go with it," she said.

Police work with the City of Eugene to maintain a database of bias crime reports. The Office of Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement is notified of any activity that has the potential to be labeled as a hate crime.

"They can reach out to victims of bias crime and provide some support to them," McLaughlin said.

In the past, police have investigated a string of swastika graffiti in the same neighborhood. IIt has community members - like the one who took the photo - looking for ways to address the issue.

"This is really happening," she said, "and we need to see this and be aware of it."