Police investigating ‘hateful graffiti’ found at Tynan Elementary School
Multiple public officials are condemning the incident.
“Hateful graffiti” was found painted on several areas on the outside of Joseph P. Tynan Elementary School in South Boston, prompting an investigation from Boston Police and condemnations from multiple public officials.A statement from interim superintendent Laura Perille said the graffiti was found Wednesday morning by custodial staff, but didn’t detail what it said. Perille said the police department’s civil rights unit has been notified. “The Boston Public Schools does not and will not tolerate hatred, discrimination, or bias of any kind,” Perille said in the statement. “BPS treasures the cultural diversity of our community, which includes young people and adults of an extraordinary array of racial, ethnic, religious, and other identities. “
The school’s psychologists and district’s behavioral health personnel were at the elementary school Wednesday to support staff and students. Students’ families will also receive a letter, call, and e-mail about the incident.
“What we saw today on the walls of the Tynan School is horrifying and heinous, and a complete misrepresentation of who we are as a city,” Mayor Marty Walsh wrote on Twitter. “Racism and threats of this nature will not be tolerated in our schools or in the City of Boston.”
What we saw today on the walls of the Tynan School is horrifying and heinous, and a complete misrepresentation of who we are as a city. Racism and threats of this nature will not be tolerated in our schools or in the City of Boston. https://t.co/Yp3GvsJm51
— Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) October 31, 2018
Separately, Walsh tweeted the person responsible “should be ashamed.”
To whoever wrote this message, you should be ashamed for spreading this message of hate where our young people go to learn. Boston is a place that is welcoming & inclusive of all. @bostonpolice are conducting an investigation & any individuals involved will be held accountable.
— Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) October 31, 2018
Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the state’s 7th district, said the graffiti included “black racial epithets.”
“Today is #Halloween & it reminds me that the scariest elements of society are too often wearing a mask—and when the monster of its bigotry and hate reveal itself–we feel betrayed, hurt, afraid & fragile,” she tweeted.
tagged on their building. Today is #Halloween & it reminds me that the scariest elements of society are too often wearing a mask—and when the monster of its bigotry and hate reveal itself–we feel betrayed, hurt, afraid & fragile.
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) October 31, 2018
The Boston Teachers Union also condemned the incident, calling the incident “a violation of our community’s values.”
All of us at the BTU stand together with the #TynanSchool community to condemn hate, racism, and threats of violence. Our educators will never be deterred from our mission of ensuring our schools and communities are places where everyone feels welcome and safe. pic.twitter.com/md5nhoPIGu
— BostonTeachersUnion (@BTU66) October 31, 2018
State Sen. Nick Collins called the incident “the worst kind of cowardice.”
https://twitter.com/nickcollinsma/status/1057649382550654977
