Racist Messages and Dead Raccoon Left as Threat for Oregon Officials

A dead raccoon and threatening message mentioning a Black city council member were left outside the mayor's office in Redmond, Oregon.
The mayor called the message's language "racially hateful" and police are investigating the act as a potential hate crime.
The message's exact wording is not being revealed to maintain the integrity of the investigation.
Raccoon imagery has long been used as an anti-Black caricature to demean and threaten Black Americans.
Previous racist incidents have occurred in the Redmond area, indicating this may be part of a pattern.