UPDATED: Investigators Won't Seek Hate-Crime Charges Against Calabasas High Graffiti Suspects
Detectives say the teenagers did not target a specific ethnic or religious group.
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Investigators will not seek hate-crime charges against three Calabasas High School students accused of painting anti-Semitic phrases, images and racist statements around their school's campus, a sheriff's department spokesman said.
The three teenagers, who are all in the 11th grade, were booked on felony vandalism charges on Wednesday, said Lt. David Thompson of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station. The boys' names were not disclosed because they are minors.
Investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said the three students confessed to comitting the acts of vandalism as a result of feeling that they had been mistreated during the school year, Thompson said.
The vandalism occurred after 4 p.m. on Friday while the school was on spring break, investigators said. School maintenance workers discovered the vandalism when they arrived for work at about 9 a.m. on Saturday.
Images of swastikas, anti-Semitic messages and racist statements targeting African Americans were spray-painted around the campus, along with the names of two teachers and four of the boys' classmates, Thompson said.
The teachers were identified as Larry Walker and Andrea Camacho, school officials said.
"[The boys'] motivation was they really felt that they were mistreated by these people; they were doing anything they could to upset them," Thompson said.
Investigators determined the three teenagers were not targeting a specific ethnic or religious group. In addition, detectives did not find evidence of racial or religious conflicts at Calabasas High, Thompson said.
The three teenagers submitted written confessions when they were detained and interviewed by sheriff's investigators, Thompson said.
The boys expressed remorse for their actions and displayed a "heightened sense of understanding of the pain that they caused to individuals, school officials and community members," sheriff's Lt. Steven Smith said in a statement.
"They were sorry for what they did," said Calabasas High Asst. Principal Eric Anhalt.
The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and Juvenile Court.
Anhalt said the school will seek the "highest level of discipline that's available" against the teenage suspects, though he would not confirm if that would be expulsion.
"We need to send a strong message that what happened was egregious and unacceptable on our campus, and we will recommend a consequence that’s in line with the egregiousness of the act," Anhalt said.
Amanda Susskind, Pacific Southwest regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, commended sheriff's investigators and school officials for their handling of the investigation.
"We applaud the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for their diligence in investigating this crime and the Calabasas High School officials for taking this matter seriously," Susskind said in a statement.
Susskind said the Anti-Defamation League had offered resources to Calabasas High and the Las Virgenes Unified School District to combat "bigotry and hatred."
"What is needed in Calabasas now is an approach that fosters positive intergroup relations, challenges prejudice and enhances learning for all students," she said.
Deputies with the sheriff department's Stop Hate and Respect Everyone (SHARE) program led a discussion on hate crimes at Calabasas High on Tuesday. The deputies are scheduled to return to the school next week.
No~One
4:05 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Those kids arrested were 4.0 students and were being bullied prolly at school.
someone
5:42 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
and you know this how???
Calabasas resident
8:55 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
No matter what the circumstances or background of these students, they are smart enough to know that their actions would deeply scar some, and hurt many others in this community. For that they should be expelled.
Calabasas resident
11:21 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
To No-One, Yes, and Watching, Calabasas community, and investigators,
I am very saddened by the events occurring at Calabasas H.S. I was sickened however to discover that it was HS students that committed this grievous "crime." My child is the grandchild of a holocaust survivor who lost his family in the holocaust. THERE IS NO EXCUSE for spraying and vandalizing the schools with marks against any group!
To No-One -- What do you mean by 4.0 students? Because god gave them brains and opportunity, it means that they can use their anger at will without suffering grave consequences? Does it mean they should be given more leeway than other kids who have 2.5 GPA’s? That they are better than them (obviously not)? Ridiculous. With that attitude, I wouldn’t doubt these kids think these crimes are not grievous crimes.
These kids were bullied? Is that an excuse for any kind of ignorant, uncaring, hateful behavior? So it’s o.k. for them to take their anger out on others…including those that have had their family history changed forever –who see these markings and shiver with disgust and nausea. Scribbling “**** jews,” “gas chamber,” swastikas and targeting African Americans is not a hate crime…no..they cannot be charged because many groups were targeted ---give me a break!!! I agree with the Watching comment…a parent with a lot of money paid someone off in some way. Disgusting!!! Teach your kids a lesson, don’t buy off their horrid actions. Must expell!!
someone
5:41 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
sorry i don't believe they did not know what they were doing in terms of hate crimes. if they thought they had problems before i would not want to be in their shoes now.... even if they were "honor students" this won't help them get into college now
watching
5:54 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
so, the police spokesman is now an apologist for the hateful act of three 11th graders against their classmates, teachers and school. hmmmmmmmm. shame on the sherrif's office for the last 24 hours of characterizations. "not as black and white as it seems." actually, it is. I don't care about remorse or a heightened sense of awareness. that always happens when you are staring at expulsion and jail time. I'd have been surprised if they failed to apologize and grovel. the school owes it to the entire student body to remove them for good. the DA's office owes it to the entire community -- and anyone watching -- to throw the book at them for hate crimes AND vandalism. The Unibomber was a hate criminal. Tim McVeigh was a hate criminal. Hitler was a hate criminal. It's a long list...and, now, it includes these three poor excuses for human beings.
someone
7:44 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
They are probably among those whose parents have the money to pay the sherrifs off. That is common around here. I am districted to Calabasas High, but it has this reputation and moneyed or not, kids need to learn consquences. This is not the right message to send. I have no intentions of sending my kids to this school, even though i pay taxes for it
yes
6:27 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
like youve never done anything wrong in your life? i know these kids and they arent the kinds of kids who actually hate anybody. i doubt that they were really hurt by anybody either, to be honest. theyre just the kind of kids that would think swastikas are funny based on their maturity level. but they arent all bad, and thats a fact. theyre just 4chan kids. anyway, if you call another human being a "poor excuse for a human being", then you yourself are a poor excuse for a human being.
someone
7:48 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
your heart is in the right place on behalf of your friends, but saying go to the gas chambers if beyond calling anyone a poor excuse for a human being. they did in fact hurt many people and they deserve to suffer the consequences. You are young but you will learn that life does not work the way you want always. when you do something it has a consequence good or bad. better to learn it while you are all young b/c if they were 18 years old, no one would sit and say, "awww they had a bad childhood, they were picked on" life doesn't work that way. if you were robbed say, would you feel this way towards those who robbed you? they would be prosecuted and you would want them to be. it is just life.
mom of 3
2:17 pm on Thursday, April 28, 2011
In reply to YES.....Clearly you don't know these kids as well as you thought. Excuses can't change what has happened. Bullying is awful. Look at Columbine. Was that right? It's a SAD state of affairs.
CaseInPoint
7:31 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
"Images of swastikas, anti-Semitic messages and racist statements targeting African Americans were spray-painted around the campus, ...
Investigators determined the three teenagers were not targeting a specific ethnic or religious group. In addition, detectives did not find evidence of racial or religious conflicts at Calabasas High, Thompson said."
Huh??? Swastikas, anti-Semitic messages, and statements targeting African Americans don't target a specific ethnic group???
I think that once caught and in police custody, the young racists shed some tears out of fear of being thrown in jail and good old Lt. Thompson concludes that these juveniles didn't really commit a hate crime at all. What's a couple of swastikas among friends anyway, Lt. Thompson? After all, they said they were sorry...
someone
6:03 pm on Saturday, May 14, 2011
It could not be said before but they are Persian Muslim. One of them had a mother of Persian Jewish decent but in the Islamic religion children are defined by the father's religion. I think they were trying to appear tolerant towards muslims ironically
Anonymous
9:02 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
None of this should even be second thought, This is absoulutely rediciculous... I don't care who the kids are or what intentions they had on the swastikas. They still did it, and it is just so cruel and immature. For someone to have the nerve to go so far and beyond racial content is just a disgusting person and they deserve to face the consequences. If these kids really felt they were being "mistreated" which I highly doubt, then they should of spoke to someone about it instead of vandalizing the school. They released there anger I'm a really bad way and completely rouined there lives for good. Hate crimes ate never okay and I truely feel these Kids should not get the chance to come back to school for what they did. They hurt and affected a lot of students/ administrators/ teachers and etc. No one should be judged by the color of there skin or race.
Arin Mikailian
9:58 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Please abstain from swearing in the comment section.
catch22
10:35 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Perhaps Calabasas High school take a field trip to The Museum of tolerance in West LA to really learn about hate.
Liz
11:50 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Every year the sophomore class takes a trip to the Holocaust Museum, we also have a genocide awareness club on campus. Furthermore, we have a genocide awareness month. Our school is respectful and tolerant of minorities and people of different races and cultures. The actions of these kids by no means reflects the opinions of the community. As for the money parents of Calabasas are so infamously known for, I highly doubt it will be a deciding factor in the punishment for the kids when this case reaches the District Court. I would greatly appreciate it if further commentators would keep these points in mind before stating how ignorant, racist, or privileged this community is.
Joe Rapp
8:12 am on Thursday, April 28, 2011
It's worse when intelligent kids perpetrate such a crime. They should know better. Why should a GPA have anything to do with proper consequences... The excuse that these were "personal" messages is beyond stupid.
Those kids are "so sorry" according to school officials and police. If an adult did this there wouldn't be an apologist speaking from the police and the school. My thoughts are that they are trying to prevent an escalation.
However, how about just being honest about a) the enormity of this disgusting act and allowing kids to feel and process their upset and anger b) letting the community know that punishment will be appropriate c) the risks of violent reprisal d) the moral imperative that a strong healthy community holds itself to a higher standard and won't allow itself to be lowered to the perpetrators' troubled and hateful level.
When a school official apologizes for the criminals, she is erasing the event. The principal is a moron to not understand this.... the police too.
Linda Thompson
9:42 am on Thursday, April 28, 2011
If these kids aren't expelled, under what criteria would expulsion qualify? It would be scary to imagine. Also, is there any information about what ethnic group these kids are in?
Carol Elliott
9:54 am on Thursday, April 28, 2011
Expulsion absolutely, but unfortunately it does not appear that this will be the case. Here we go again,
The continuation of the society of victims that we have become. Excuses, excuses, excuses!!
No discipline in the schools and likely non at home.
As these kids are minors, I think the parents should be held responsible for any financial burden that results from having to clean up their "work".
susan
10:59 am on Thursday, April 28, 2011
What these kids is unacceptable. Plain and simple. They are not children. They know the consequences of their action. This is not the same as putting toilet paper on a tree in a campus. This is a serious offense. The consequences should be just as serious. This is a hate crime. The fact they were an equal opportunity hater, and targeted various ethnic groups does not lessen the impact of what they did. In fact, it just goes to show how widespread their hatred is. Personally I think they should be expelled and be charged with hate crime vandalism charges. Anything less is an insult. It shouldn't matter whether they live in Calabasas or Boyle Heights. Their actions speak for themselves. There have been far too many instances of intolerance in Calabasas. What does that say about the city? Perhaps taking appropriate action both by the District Attorney and the school district just might have some impact.
mom of 3
2:11 pm on Thursday, April 28, 2011
Being honor students doesn't make them honorable. They messed up and now they have to pay the price. Doesn't matter what religion or otherwise. Hopefully a message will be sent to others thinking about doing something so hateful.
A Concerned Parent
2:50 pm on Thursday, April 28, 2011
Where are the parents? Where is the accountability? Where is the DA? Where is Calabasas City COuncil? WHy are they not being punished. Saying sorry is not good enough. It doesn't change their hatred. Where are the Police...really?Who's pockets are filled? Unacceptable.
Arin Mikailian
4:27 pm on Thursday, April 28, 2011
Sheriff's department changes its mind. Hate-crime charges to be sought. http://patch.com/A-gZxW
someone
6:00 pm on Saturday, May 14, 2011
GREAT!!! This could not be said before but the kids are actually Persian Muslim. I think they were trying to avoid the negative publicity and appear tolerant towards Muslims