Vandals scrawl racially charged graffiti on school walls
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HARRISBURG, Ore. -- White paint primer all that's left behind of a very hurtful message scrawled on a wall at Harrisburg Middle School sometime last weekend, a message that has struck a chord with this community.
Principal Darci Stuller still can't believe it. "It just makes me sad," said Stuller. Her school was tagged with racially-charged graffiti. "Very harsh hateful things," said Stuller. KVAL News blurred out some of the spray-paint. A swastika was painted on the fence. Vandals also threw manure at the front door. "They carried it in in buckets," said Stuller. "We found the buckets left laying and made a big mess with it. It was all over the walls and windows." A few blocks away from the school, there was even more racially-charged graffiti. "I was of course disappointed," said Harrisburg City Administrator Bruce Cleeton. Vandals also hit two city bathrooms and a city garbage can near the river. "You can't just paint over it like the walls inside the restrooms," said Cleeton. Security cameras caught them. Video shows three men and one woman early last Saturday, said Cleeton. The two different graffiti areas have led to one goal for the Harrisburg community. "I just really hope whoever is responsible gets caught so they can get some education and learn why these things are so unacceptable," said Stuller. The next step is to paint over the primer to match the wall so kids who play on the playground during the summer and staff aren't reminded of the message.
