Police investigate Loop art vandalism

May 13, 2010 (CHICAGO) The artist is a Muslim graduate student at the School of the Art Institute. Anida Yoeu Ali's work was painted on with caricatures and the words "kill all Arabs," which appear as part of the artwork, highlighted by the vandals at 33 S. State St.

"I feel that this act of violence is a way to try to silence me, to silence my work, to silence the people of whom I'm speaking for," Ali said.

The Council on American Islamic Relations calls the vandalism a hate crime. For now, Chicago police have classified the case as criminal damage to property. No one is in custody.