Pair arrested for spray-painting anti-Israel graffiti on downtown businesses
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Kaitlyn Claire Elder, 27, and Le-Alem Getachew, 29, were arrested early this morning and charged with spraying anti-Israel graffiti on two downtown businesses while wearing masks.
At about 3:07 a.m. on February 3, Gainesville Police Department officers responded to an anonymous call about three people walking around with masks and spray-painting buildings.
Officers detained Elder and Getachew but did not locate a third suspect; Gainesville Police Department said the investigation into a third suspect is ongoing. The officers reported that White Buffalo (111 S. Main Street) and another nearby building in the area were spray-painted with slogans that included “Free Palestine,” “F*** Israel,” “Death to IDF,” and “From River to Sea,” along with an upside-down triangle. An officer noted that the incident “displayed indicators consistent with a potential bias-motivated offense” and stated that approximately 15 separate messages were spray-painted across two businesses (see photos below)
Both women allegedly wore masks to conceal their identities, and the officers reported that both women had visible paint on their hands and clothing. Elder also reportedly had a paint bottle and a paint roller when she was arrested.
Post Miranda, both women reportedly declined to answer any questions.
The arresting officers noted that the graffiti “resulted in visible defacement and damage to the property, requiring repair and/or cleaning to restore the surfaces to their original conditions. [The suspects] caused property damage to brick, window, and fencing surfaces requiring repair, with the estimated value of the damage being less than $1,000.”
Both women were charged with misdemeanor property damage and wearing a mask while committing a criminal offense. The defendants do not have any criminal history, and Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $4,000 but ordered that they could be screened for day reporting and released if accepted.
Gainesville Police Department posted the following statement on social media: “Gainesville has long been a diverse community that welcomes peaceful gatherings and the expression of political views. We support everyone’s First Amendment right to protest. We ask that political messages be expressed in ways that are respectful to the community and do not involve damage to private property, helping keep our city clean and welcoming for all.”
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Too much idle time on their hands. Don’t people have to work for a living anymore?
From the looks are even one of them I doubt they worked a day in their damn life living on government handout
Maybe you can tell us their horoscope next.
Absolutely I would say jail time, but this is alachua and they don’t believe in that too many democratic judges
3 am!! Unbelievable!!!
Racists spreading hate towards another religion. With all the Anti-Semitic and Anti-Ice vandalism shows that we need more ICY weather in this area.
All these unicorn democrats need is their septum nose rings and they can be part of tge Dances with Flashbang Tribe in Minneapolis.
Don’t agree with what they are doing but. It’s funny that you Reich Wing nutjobs are pretending you aren’t anti-Semitic. Come on man!
Hum, wrong again. My dad is Jewish and my mother is Christian. Raised under both religions.so I got the best of both worlds around certain holidays. I get to criticize the KKK, neo nazis, and liberals the same way. So who is the racist now, little uninformed unicorn.. You are what James Woods described the racist Lemon as.a “dingleberry.” Expect he is hanging from the ass of left wing media and you are hanging from the ass of liberalism.
I don’t approve of this, but their content was not racist. It is aimed at a government – not a race – which has killed about 70k civilians by bombings since the war began.
Yesterday “..news reports from February 4, 2026, indicate that Israeli strikes in Gaza killed five children as part of an attack that resulted in at least 19 deaths, mostly women and children.”
This was in response to an attack on Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The attack by Hamas – the other and original villian in this war – killed an estimated 1200 civilians by way of contrast. Netanyahu should be in jail and so should be Hamas, who he supported a few years ago to try and weaken the Palestinian Authority, it’s rival and more restrained political group.
Aimed at a religion, and a government that supports the religion. It’s antisemitic no matter how hard you try and make it anything but racism. Hamas is a terrorist group that attacked a country on the basis of religion. Tell me that Oct 7 did not happen
I mentioned Oct 7 in my post you f..ing idiot and I also denounced Hamas. Name one thing they painted that is against jews or judaism. They are all aimed at Israel which is a country and government which in response to an indefensible and racist attack on civilians by Hamas, which killed about 1200 people, has now killed about 70,000 civilians and still at it, 4 kids 2 days ago and another 14 adults.
You have earlier defended killing civilian American citizens guilty of no crimes nor in the act of one by federal goons on our streets and now justify killing 70,000 civilians – mostly women and children – in Gaza. You’re not just an idiot, but one lacking any moral fiber. If your chosen team did it, that’s OK with you and like a good little Nazi you’ll defend them no matter what.
My family and extendeds family is mostly jewish – including my kids – so don’t lecture me on anti-semitism. They mostly know what a criminal Netanyahu is and what shame he has brought not just on Isreal, but on Jews around the world. These 2 women made the distinction though by not attacking jews, but Israel, now an out of control pariah state, acting out all the horrors they were previously and falsely accused of. Now it’s guilty!
They should put them on a plane and send them to Gaza. Maybe the Palestinians will appreciate their cultural values and art work.
As a bonus, they’ll be able to wear masks all day long.
Vandalism is NOT a 1st amendment right.
I guess they have no problem with Hamas executing “Palestinians”, that much is obvious. Another shining example of marxist indoctrination from marxist media and leftwing propagandists.
True enough. Hamas is terrible. But that does not forgive Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of a densely packed urban are and killing 70,000 civilians, largely women and children. Bad as Hamas is/was and their racist attack on civilians on Oct 7, it was a picnic compared to what Netanyahu and his fundamentalist comrades have done.
A great sentence would for them to clean it during noontime with an officer supervising and no masks. A “lite” version of the ‘ol chain gangs.
That’s bound to trigger somebody. They’ll be protesting on the steps of City Hall.
Let me guess… more angry lesbians.
So gab, have a hard time with women, huh?
This is why photos should be published. It will help get their asses fired sooner.
Unhinged progressives like this are a PR blessing to Zionist and the State of Israel. They don’t realize their actions cause the opposite public reaction. If you are against Zionism then use facts to make your point…there are plenty of damnable facts available.
The signs are unfortunately mostly on target. The state of Israel is suffering a major loss which they will be paying for for decades in lost support and prestige. Given that they still have not even removed Hamas from Gaza, it will not be worth it. Netanyahu and his fundamentalist supporters – they are as much living in the dark ages as Muslim fundamentalists – have ruined what was once a beacon of reason and progress in the desert.
Females should be barred from voting until AFTER menopause.
You have trouble with women too, huh JK?
They all look like that
Disgusting liberals.
They aren’t anymore liberals than you are a conservative.