Employees of TruMark Credit Union, located at the corner of Germantown and Highland avenues in Chestnut Hill, found a racist and threatening letter under the door on Jan. 23.
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Employees of TruMark Credit Union, located at the corner of Germantown and Highland avenues in Chestnut Hill, found a racist and threatening letter had been slipped under the door when they got to work on Monday, Jan. 23.
“I was shocked,” said Erica Paul, an assistant vice-president branch manager at the credit union who is also one of the Local’s board members. “My staff was really shaken up about it.”
When she first saw the letter, Paul said, she assumed it was a check that someone slipped under the door - something that happens often. But then she opened it. The threatening words it contained used ugly racial slurs that date back to the 1950s.
Paul said the note was initially delivered to 8300 Germantown Avenue by mistake. TruMark’s address is 8500 Germantown Avenue, but, according to Paul, the “5” in the address looked like a “3.” The credit union’s security cameras captured an image of the 8300 block resident slipping the envelope under TruMark’s door. Paul said she believes that the resident was unaware that the envelope contained the vile letter.
The branch decided not to open that day after the credit union’s staff voiced concerns about being watched. Since the day after, when the credit union reopened on Jan. 24, a guard has been stationed inside. Paul feels especially vulnerable since the credit union’s staff is predominantly Black.
“I think it might have been someone who [was a customer],” she told the Local in an interview. She also praised the 14th Police District’s officers who were “helpful” and “acted very swiftly.”
The Local was unable to view the letter in part due to Paul being ordered to delete it by a member of TruMark’s HR team. However, she said, you could tell the letter was written by an older person based on the outdated racist verbage used. It also included three swastikas.
Paul said the return address, listed as being on the 7600 block of Germantown Avenue, was not a valid address.
Police say they have a suspect, but as of presstime on Tuesday no arrests had been made. An investigation is active and ongoing with Northwest Detectives Division.
The news of the letter comes on the heels of white nationalist propaganda being distributed in parts of Springfield and Cheltenham Townships in Montgomery County.
