A racial slur spray-painted on the side of a Hummer parked next to the entrance of Red Hill Elementary School has alarmed school parents and the head of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

It was the third time this year that the word, a pejorative used to describe people of African descent, has been spray-painted onto the side of a vehicle parked in the Moanalua Hillside Apartments complex, said Alphonso Braggs, president of the NAACP Hawaii chapter.

The victim is an African-American man who is in the Navy.

One of the other occasions involved another vehicle owned by the Hummer’s owner, Braggs said. Unlike the other times, however, the Hummer that was spray-painted over the weekend is parked next to the entrance to Red Hill Elementary, which can be reached only by traveling through the apartment complex.

In addition, three of the Hummer’s tires were slashed and flattened.

The offensive word, as well as most of the Hummer, was covered by a blue tarp Thursday after Red Hill Elementary Principal Mona Smoot voiced concerns about the situation.

"This is not simply vandalism; it is a hate crime," Braggs said. "The NAACP is concerned about the safety and security of residents of this occurring in a gated community. We would expect that our police department would be responsive in investigating the perpetrators of these types of malicious hate crimes."

Police Capt. Andrew Lum said the chief’s office was made aware of Braggs’ concerns Friday. "Mr. Braggs brought this situation to our attention, and we’re looking into it," Lum said.

Smoot, in a school newsletter sent to parents this week, said she regrets that students saw the offensive word.

"This week, our students witnessed the results of some very bad behavior," Smoot wrote. "As families left the Red Hill campus, someone left very offensive and insensitive graffiti on a white Hummer at the bottom of the hill."

Teachers and staff were encouraged to talk to students about the implications of the offense, she said.

"I encourage you to discuss with your child how racism and bigotry are so detrimental to the students at Red Hill Elementary School, to the residents of Hawaii and to the citizens of our country. We should not allow the ugliness in one person’s heart to be anything but an opportunity to learn how to become a better person."

Several Red Hill Elementary parents said they were disturbed by the incident. About one-third of the school’s students are African-American, several parents said. About 70 percent of the student population is made up of military dependents, they said.

Red Hill resident Sue Lewenilovo, who has lived in Hawaii for more than 30 years, said, "I haven’t seen that kind of stuff in Hawaii."

Lewenilovo said her two grandchildren, who are part-African-American, and a niece usually walk to and from school, but said she decided to walk with them this week after seeing the offensive word on the car because she felt uncertain about their safety.

Adam Ford, who picks up his third-grade son, said he was bothered and shocked when he first saw the scrawling but viewed it more as an offense against an individual rather than as a hate crime until after he spoke to his wife about it. He said he was glad to see the tarp placed on the Hummer. "Hawaii’s a nice place," he said. "You don’t expect to see that kind of stuff here."

Several parents said they sat down and talked to their children about what they saw.

Kymberly Rodriguez, who has two children attending the school, said seeing the vehicle "was kind of shocking."

Her daughter knows the meaning of the word and asked why someone would write it on a vehicle, she said.

"We talked about it," Rodriguez said. "Sometimes you have this. … Wherever you go, you’re going to find mean people."

Rodriguez said she believes school officials reacted properly to the situation.

Braggs said he has been in contact with the owner of the Hummer, who filed a report with police but does not want to discuss the situation publicly.

"To me, what qualifies this as racist behavior is not only the damage and offense done against the owner of the property, but also the insensitivity to the fact that children, teachers and staff at the nearby school can bear witness to this … behavior," Braggs said.