School police probe racial vandalism at Shadow Ridge

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Monday, Sept. 19, 2005 | 10:07 a.m.

School police are trying to determine who recently spray-painted racial epithets at Shadow Ridge High School and why.

School officials declined to disclose the exact wording of the graffiti except to say that the message included a derogatory word for blacks.

The graffiti is believed to have been left overnight Sept. 10 at the campus, located at Brent Lane and North Decatur Boulevard north of the Las Vegas Beltway.

Darnell Couthen, spokesman for the School District Police, said the incident is currently being investigated as vandalism.

"We don't have any suspects so we can't make a determination on whether it was racism or not," Couthen said.

Metro Police Sgt. Chris Jones said there have been no reports of graffiti, vandalism or other disturbances in the neighborhood surrounding Shadow Ridge High School.

Thomas Barberini, principal of Shadow Ridge, said the graffiti was discovered on Sept. 11 by school police during a routine Sunday patrol. It was spray-painted on two sidewalk areas near the school's main entrance as well as on a door, Barberini said.

The graffiti was removed the same day, he said.

The principal said he was surprised by the incident and that his campus was not experiencing racial tensions.

"I've been doing this for 31 years and when there are racial issues you know it," Barberini said. "Our students are diverse, they sit in mixed groups at lunch, they're friends."

Barberini said he doubted that the person or persons responsible for the graffiti was connected to Shadow Ridge but if it turns out to be a student "all appropriate action will be taken."

He added that he planned to discuss the incident when his parent advisory group meets next month. For the 2004-05 academic year Shadow Ridge's student enrollment was 15.2 percent black and 13.5 percent Hispanic.

Allen Lichtenstein, attorney for the Nevada ACLU, said his organization had been alerted to the incident.

"We don't have the investigative powers to find out who did it but we are concerned, as many people are, when racist attitudes are being expressed," Lichtenstein said. "It could be anything from an organized group to a sole kid with a can of spray paint."

Whoever is responsible the graffiti is a "wake-up call," Lichtenstein said.

"This is a message to those of us who would like to believe racism doesn't exist in our society any longer and is a thing of the past," Lichtenstein said. "That's why we need to be vigilant."