A racial slur was discovered Wednesday morning scrawled on a wooden railing in front of Whittier Cafe, a popular coffee shop and eatery at 1710 East 25th Avenue.

Jeff Fard, who runs Brother Jeff's Cultural Center in Five Points and is husband to the cafe's owner, Millete Birhanemaskel, posted a picture of the racist message on Facebook on May 30.

"Is this how someone(s) disrespect a Black woman, community owned business?" Fard wrote. "Not in this town! Share."

The message was quickly covered, and Whittier Cafe remains open for business. The Denver Police Department says the incident is "currently being investigated by the Graffiti Unit and the Bias Motivated Crime detectives."

Update: This story has new information from the Denver Police Department.

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