Residents of a southeast Springfield neighborhood say they no longer feel welcome in their own homes.
About ten families woke up this morning to find graffiti on their fences.
A local church was hit as well.
And while the mess is frustrating for the neighborhood, it’s the message that really stung.
"We've come a long ways since the 60s, civil rights and stuff. People for the most part in Springfield are pretty tolerant for other cultures, races, and religions."
And Matthew Goings and Channa McCallum say that's the main reason they feel safe here.
They’re an interracial couple raising three healthy, happy biracial kids in a diverse southeast Springfield neighborhood.
That’s something they take pride in, but someone else took advantage of.
“One of the houses says ‘white people wake up’ and ‘still dead’,” says Matthew.
Everyone woke up to a disturbing site Sunday morning; 10 houses in the neighborhood had been vandalized, including Matthew and Channa's.
The pair immediately noticed a pattern.
“On Catalpa Street right here it's all black families,” explains Matthew.
The graffiti quickly confirmed their suspicion and the rest of the residents agreed- the messages are racist.
“I feel really sad about it,” Channa tells KSPR.
The words "free slaves" were plastered on a number of fences along with bible verses.
The church down the street was targeted too and possibly sustained the worst damage.
It’s not something neighbors expected, but it's not entirely surprising either.
“I’ve lived in this town my whole life. I've dealt with it a little bit being biracial,” says resident Kelly Todd.
Matthew and Channa say a few hours and a pressure washer should wipe the words from their fence but not their memories.
Some of the neighbors filed a report with the Springfield Police Department.
The man responsible for the graffiti turned himself into the police Sunday night.
He told them the messages were never meant to be interpreted as racist.