Graffiti scrawled on a bathroom wall has racial and threatening overtones. Sheriff’s deputies are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
Malibu High School was under heightened security Friday before students were let out for spring break due to a vandalism incident with racial overtones earlier this month. There will also be an increased Sheriff’s Department presence at the school on April 14, a date mentioned in the graffiti scrawled on a bathroom wall.
According to school and Sheriff’s officials, a custodian on March 6 during after school hours found a tile in a boys’ bathroom stating “On April 14” next to a list of seven names. It was followed by the word “Boom.” Malibu High principal Mark Kelly said the names were all of black male high school students. The graffiti was photographed and then removed. The incident was reported to Kelly the next day, and he contacted the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station.
“We consider it a hate crime when it has anything to do with race,” said Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Capt. Tom Martin. “And this obviously had to do with race.”
Martin said members of the station’s Juvenile Intervention Team have been on campus talking to students, and investigators “continue to monitor the situation.”
“There was nothing to indicate racial tension,” Martin said. “That’s why this is kind of surprising.”
He continued, “There is no hard evidence at this moment to point us in any direction,”
April 14 date is the anniversary of John Wilkes Booth’s shooting of Abraham Lincoln, who died the next day. There will be Sheriff’s officials, in and out of uniform, on the Malibu High campus on April 14. Kelly encourages all students to attend school that day.
“This has heightened our awareness,” Kelly said. “We need to ensure the safety of our students and staff. I want to balance the fact that this may be an isolated incident with being cautious.”
Kelly said he met with the students named in the graffiti the Monday morning after the incident. He also contacted their family members. Later, Peggy Harris from the district’s central office came to the campus to meet with all 32 black students who attend Malibu High. Harris informed Kelly on how the discussion went.
“They all said they felt safe on campus,” Kelly said. “They were concerned that someone would do this. They recognize that this is the work of a single individual.”
This is not the first racial vandalism incident to occur this year at Malibu High. A few months ago, a racial slur about blacks was tagged in front of the school along with a death threat and the words “Locals Only.” Kelly said that incident was not solved, but due to the location where it occurred, he could not even be certain it was Malibu High students who did it.
Teachers last week were encouraged to discuss the bathroom vandalism with their students. On Friday, a Sheriff’s deputy’s vehicle was parked in front of the campus and two juvenile intervention officers were on campus. The school is closed for spring break until March 31.
Kelly notified all the parents at the school about the situation last week through the school’s electronic network. He said he would likely mention the issue again in his monthly principal’s message.
Some parents posting messages on a Malibu High Internet discussion board have been contemplating various ideas about multicultural and racial sensitivity programs that could be implemented.
Oscar de la Torre, president of the school board, said he would like to see Malibu High adopt a program currently underway at Santa Monica High, called Racial Harmony, in which students learn about the impacts of negative stereotypes. He further suggested there should be mandatory cultural awareness workshops for teachers. Kelly said the teachers already do some training, and he will be looking into other programs. He said he might also look at some programs for high school students. There is already one for eighth-graders.
De la Torre praised Kelly for his handling of the situation, and said he hopes the vandalism was just a bad prank.
“This is the first time I heard about an [racial] incident at Malibu High, and hopefully it’s the last,” de la Torre said. “I think it’s regrettable that in 2008 you have racist attacks against any one group in the school community.”