The Evanston Police Department says two bathrooms at Nichols Middle School were vandalized on Thursday with antisemitic and racist graffiti.
The news release adds information to what was provided by School District 65 Superintendent Devon Horton following discovery of the writing.
EPD Commander Ryan Glew says that “several swastikas” were found in a third floor boys bathroom, apprently written with a marker.
And, in a second floor girls’ room, apparently in marker again, “there was racist langauge directed at individual(s) of mixed ethnicity.”
Glew says the staff member who discovered the vandalism believed it happend between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Thursday.
EPD’s Detective Bureau is investigating the Nichols incident. No one is in custody, “but the investigation seeks to identify participants and determine appropriate action based on the facts revealed by the investigation.”
Glew also says that the Nichols case is “believed to be unrelated to the Haven Noose Incident.”
In that latter incident, three nooses were found hanging between Haven and Kingsley schools on May 13.
Glew says the police are working cooperatively with District 65.
“Completing a thorough investigation into these incidents,” Glew notes,”remains dependent on District 65’s continued cooperation.”
Trolling adults is what middle schoolers are designed to do. Just remove the swastika, find the offender, handle the case (they’re a stupid minor!), and move on. The more publicity the district gives to these things, the more often they’re going to happen as the kids copy-cat for attention.
This is closer to the truth. Had the perpetrator stuck to crudely drawn male genitalia and vulgar writings as is what had gone on all year long at Nichols, this would be swept under the rug as most behavior problems were.