Erasing hate: Detailer steps up after man’s prized car is struck with racist vandalism

It was before 6 a.m. Thursday when Joshua Gadsen shared the video on Facebook.

The 17-second clip shows Gadsen’s red 2016 Dodge Charger on the dark March morning. There’s a large swastika etched in black spray paint on the hood, and a racial slur stretches across both doors on the driver’s side.

Hundreds of people reached out on Facebook through comments and shares to offer support, sympathy and kind words, but Gadsen’s friend and bandmate Collin Donley jumped into action.

He talked to Terry Javers, owner of Steve’s Bar in Trent, where Donley and Gadsen’s band frequently performs, and Javers knew exactly the man for the job: Ryan Murray, owner and operator of Superior Detail in Sioux Falls.

By 9 a.m., the two had worked with Murray and arranged for Gadsen’s car to be detailed.

Javers and Donley had offered to cover the bill, but once Murray heard the story of what happened, he knew he wouldn’t be charging anybody for the work he was completing.

“This is just something that needs to be done because it’s the right thing to do,” Murray said.

After talking with Gadsen further, Murray said he learned the Salem man was a “car guy” and that his Charger was one of his prized possessions. Murray also learned Gadsen works as a paramedic.

“We’re like, you know what, we’re going to do something a little bit more than just remove the paint,” Murray said.

His staff at Superior Detail shined up the vehicle and cleaned the inside. They also secured his subwoofer box using some lumber wrapped with black felt to match the box. Previously, it had been sliding around in the back of the car.

Murray shared Gadsen’s story in a social media post Monday night, and he said he almost couldn’t comprehend how quickly it took off. As of Wednesday afternoon, it had more than 1,000 interactions and hundreds of shares.

Murray said people have also been sending him private messages of support and not just locally. He has even gotten a note from as far as New York state.

“It’s nice to know there are far more good people in the world to override a bad situation,” he said.

As for Gadsen, he handled the whole situation calmly, Donley said.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Josh,” he said. “I gave him a call when I saw the video, and he was just very calm. He just was sad for the person (who vandalized the car) who has some priorities that are pretty backwards.”

But, at the end of the day, the good outweighed the bad.

“To see so much more positivity come right back was pretty heartwarming,” Donley said. “I think he was pretty awestruck.”