Awww. Reward Offered After Racist Graffiti Targets Black Students at Agoura High School

[Billy Meaney]

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Racist-Graffiti-Found-Agoura-High-
School-207700471.html

Two cases of racially charged graffiti at a high school in upscale Agoura
Hills are being investigated by a hate crime unit, Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Department officials said.

Deputies were reviewing surveillance footage and providing extra patrols
on Thursday around Agoura High School, where officials found racist
graffiti against black students on Sunday and Wednesday.

The scrawls were first discovered on Sunday on at least 10 buildings on
the campus, which has 31 African-American students among a largely white
student body of 2,150, according to school officials.

Some parents said they were not initially notified about the graffiti,
which was quickly painted over.

On Wednesday, school officials found more graffiti in the boys' bathroom
that named five individual black students' names alongside threats.

"I felt like they were not valuing my son's life or his well-being. And if
you're not going to communicate to me and tell me what the possible threat
is -- we�re talking about deadly force here. We�re talking about a hit
list being put on a wall. Of course I was going to be very upset about
that,� said parent Ron Cash, whose child is an African-American student at
the campus.

Cash�s son was not targeted, but his friend was. Cash and his wife Gina
Aubrey were concerned.

Aubrey said their 17-year-old son has been at the school for four years
and has felt "very safe" and experienced no "racial incidents."

"He�s never felt under any threat and never had any reason to," Aubrey
said

Another parents, whos son was named in the graffiti, said she received
several text messages and calls about the Wednesday incident. "

"My son�s name showed up on the list,� parent Astrid Kastenberg said.

Kastenberg said the graffiti included the statement: "These are the next
n------ to die."

School officials said sheriff's detectives told them not to notify parents
about the graffiti found on Sunday. Sheriff's officials said they had
requested the school not provide details of the investigation to
authorities.

Parent Dorna Hill said she was notified on Wednesday, but she was still
uneasy even though officials said they didn't believe students were in
danger.

Members of the hate crime unit of the Sheriff's Department met with
parents of students who appeared to be targeted and class was in session
as usual on Thursday.

"We feel very confident that the investigation is going to show that this
is not an orchestrated threat against a certain race at the high school,"
Sheriff�s Capt. Pat Davoren said.

Students have no reason to fear for their safety, he added.

Principal Larry Misel said he believes the investigation will show the
vandals were motivated by something other than hate.

School officials said a $1,000 reward was being offered for information
leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible.

Davoren said surveillance video was providing clues in the search for the
vandal or vandals, who appeared hooded and masked.

"The video is showing that there are several people on campus after hours,
walking around the campus. Our investigators believe they could be
involved," Davoren said.

Leave Comments

Al Sanchez � Top Commenter � Los Angeles, California
IT'S PROBALBY THE LATINOS -- THEY DON'T LIKE THE BLACKS AND VICE VERSA.
NEVER USED TO HAVE THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM BACK IN MY DAY. WE ALL GOT ALONG
OR WE JUST KIND OF STAYED IN OUR OWN AREAS WITH NO HASSLES. WHAT A
WONDERFUL WORLD WE ALL LIVE IN NOW, HUH?
Reply � Like � 5 hours ago

Aram Anthony � Top Commenter
I hear you Al, what the hell happened? We have become a grotesquely
divided country where our first response to almost any kind of situation
is to yell, fight, kill. It seems like even the smallest conflict can, and
often does, escalate to a kill-or-be-killed situation. Lovely...
Reply � Like � 3 hours ago

Grace Yim � Los Angeles, California
Actually Agoura hills is mainly a caucasian community... And any other
race is the "minority". The area is very sheltered, its an upper class
suburban area. Growing up in agoura hills it is most likely NOT the
latinos hating on "blacks" (how dare you say that) it is most likely the
mean, ignorant "MAJORITY" of the students doing these heinous acts.
Reply � Like � 30 minutes ago

Kathleen Hopkins
I'm not at all surprised. When I lived in Agoura I was the target of so
much racism, from being refused service at the Starbucks there to being
yelled at by people in cars as I walked down the street.
Reply � Like � 4 hours ago

Samuel Brock
Wow. you were refused service at Starbucks for your nationality?
Reply � Like � 2 hours ago

Mike Hunter � 53 years old
I call BS on Kathleen Hopkins. People don't even act that way in Compton
or Monrovia. People get treated the way they present themselves for the
most part. I disagree with you too Grace Kim. Latinos definitely do not
like blacks.
Reply � Like � 2 hours ago