One-Inch Swastika Discovered At Suburban Chicago High School
Swastika graffiti was discovered and quickly removed from the lobby of Oak Park and River Forest High School in suburban Chicago, according to a statement released by the school on Monday. Image by Wikimedia Commons
A small sketch of a swastika was discovered on a window ledge in the lobby of a suburban Chicago high school and later removed, according to a Monday letter sent by the school’s superintendent.
A parent noticed the drawing at Oak Park and River Forest High School in Oak Park, Illinois and alerted a security staff member, who reported it to the buildings and grounds staff, according to a follow-up statement issued by the school on Tuesday.
Staff removed the “deeply offensive symbol of oppression and genocide,” school superintendent Dr. Joylynn Pruitt-Adams wrote in the Monday letter.
Even though there was a security camera nearby, the lobby is often crowded and the swastika was too small — roughly one inch — to discern when it was drawn, according to the Tuesday statement.
“Let us be clear: Hate has no place at Oak Park and River Forest High School,” Pruitt-Adams wrote in the letter. “We, as a school community, stand for respect and inclusion.”
Contact Erica Snow at snow@forward.com or on Twitter @ericasnoww.
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