Vandals wrote anti-Black slurs at the construction site for the new Carolyn and Kem Gardner building at the University of Utah over the weekend.

Construction crews found the damage Monday morning, and later painted over and removed the graffiti. The U notified students of the incident via email shortly after.

“[Racial slurs] are unacceptable and harmful to our campus community,” the U said in a statement.

According to U spokesperson Chris Nelson, three local high school students were arrested Tuesday by the U’s Department of Public Safety in regard to the incident. All three are minors and are being referred to juvenile court for trespass and criminal mischief charges.

An initial release said that some items were stolen from the property, however, U Police Chief Dale Brophy later told the Daily Utah Chronicle that nothing was discovered missing.

Police are not disclosing specifically what was written on the building, but Brophy said more information will later be released in a statement. He wasn’t able to give a timeline for that statement, however, because the investigation is still ongoing.

In response to this incident and others targeting Black students and people of color, including racist flyers being posted on campus earlier this year, the U is forming an Anti-Racism Task Force that Nelson said the school will announce later this week.

@Claudiavrobles_

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