ISSAQUAH, Wash. — A Sunday morning bike ride along the East Lake Sammamish Trail in Issaquah was marred by offensive, racist graffiti, which residents say is a recurring issue despite efforts to quickly paint over it.
A Sunday morning bike ride was spoiled with what a cyclist describes as “some pretty offensive” graffiti.
He and others said they had seen racist graffiti there before.
Sunday morning, KIRO 7 heard from people who spotted the racist graffiti along the East Lake Sammamish Trail in Issaquah.
By mid-afternoon, it was gone, painted over. But, the impact had already been felt.
Residents said this spot is a haven for taggers. Even as the sun set, it was easy to see where it had been painted over, including the racist graffiti spotted this Sunday morning.
When Josh set out on his long Sunday bike ride, he came upon an unsettling sight.
“Unfortunately when I hit the junction between the Issaquah Fall City bike path and the Lake Sammamish bike trail I saw some pretty offensive, Nazi, ‘Heil Hitler’ graffiti right off the bike path.”
He said it wasn’t the first time.
“It’s not,” said Josh. “In fact, it’s the second or third time I have seen stuff like this in the area. So, it seems there are one or more folks living in Issaquah who are pretty racist.”
Those who frequent this popular trail said it is not unusual to see tagging here.
“On all these columns, there’s just graffiti all the time,” said Mario Coll, Issaquah.
Racist graffiti? “Yeah,” he said. “I saw like ‘White Power’ spray painted on like that one like a few weeks ago.”
As it is, Issaquah’s Public Works department provides a way online for residents to report any graffiti they see even over the weekend.
“They’re painting over it pretty quick,” said Coll. “But it keeps coming back.”
Josh was asked if the graffiti was a surprise. “It is,” he said. “Issaquah is a nice community, generally. It’s pretty diverse.”
But Josh thinks the city isn’t doing enough to stop it, especially the graffiti that is racist.
“I’d like the Police Department and Public Works to maybe, you know, I know it’s not easy to catch people,” Josh said. “But maybe take this a little more seriously, put some cameras out there. Ideally, find the culprit quickly.”
He says he’d also like Issaquah’s Mayor or the City Manager to speak out on the issue. KIRO 7 has emailed the city’s leaders. As of the publishing of this story, we have not received a response.
©2025 Cox Media Group
