(ABC 6 News) – Rochester Rep. Kim Hicks’ house was vandalized by a group of masked individuals who spray painted hate symbols and racial slurs over her windows and signs in the yard. Some are saying the incident is just another example of how the political climate has shifted over the years.

“We’ve kind of grown numb to all of this kind of experience,” said Wendell Amstutz, executive director of the National Community Resource Center in Rochester.

Incidents like these happen frequently at all levels of government, especially now when it seems like hatred and anger are everywhere.

“It can be concerning for, especially, people of minority backgrounds and those associated with them in public life,” said Sami Rahamim, director of communications for the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas.

Yet it feels like each one barely captures attention for very long, pointing towards a deeper issue at the heart of politics today.

“It’s a sign that we need to really look inward as a society,” Rahamim said.

And the impact on those who run for office is particularly hard to miss.

“Frankly, this discourages a lot of other people to serve,” said Amstutz.

In some ways, though, there is still hope.

One of the first major responses to the incident came from Ken Navitsky, Hicks’ opponent in the race for state congressional district 25A, who offered his support and condolences to Hicks and her family.

“I have nothing but great things to say about my opponent as a person,” Navitsky said during a live stream on his public Facebook page. “What happened to her, her family and her home is disgusting. It’s not acceptable.”

Navitsky also called for an end to acts like this.

“Please do not do stupid things to the families of the people who have the courage to step forward into the fray,” he said.

Other officials have also spoken out on the incident.

“We need to realize that this is a reality in Rochester, it is happening in our community,” said state Sen. Liz Boldon. “So how are we gonna work together to solve these issues. We have to have the conversations, we have to talk about it.”