Idyllwild Town Crier Online

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From the Idyllwild Town Crier weekly newspaper, 03.11.10 edition.

Local teens deface school

By Marshall Smith, Staff Reporter

Two local teens, former Idyllwild School students, tagged seven middle school campus buildings with white supremacist symbols and text, including swastikas and hate messages, between 8 and 10 p.m. Monday, March 1.

By Tuesday, largely based on tips from current middle school students, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) had the identities of the two and arrested both. A search of one boy’s room revealed a stash of white supremacist material. Further searches of the boys’ computers showed their MySpace pages filled with similar supremacist screed. Neither set of parents professed any knowledge of their sons’ supremacist opinions, according to RCSD Deputy and School Resource Officer Josh Cadenhead who reported the incident.

Some of the slogans scrawled on the school’s campus were particularly shocking and offensive because this kind of hate mongering is rare in Idyllwild, according to Deputy Cadenhead. School Principal Matt Kraemer advised parents to check their children’s MySpace and Facebook pages to see what they’re viewing. “It could be a wake-up call,” said Kraemer and prevent catastrophic school incidents that have become all too familiar since Columbine.

The duo calls themselves So Cal Skins (SCS) and signs their graffiti “SCS.” Deputy Cadenhead advised anyone in town who has had property similarly tagged and signed to contact RCSD Hemet Station at (951) 791-3412. “There may be just these two in the gang, or maybe more,” he said. “So far there are no links or ties to anything bigger.

“This does not qualify as a hate crime because there was no specific person targeted,” said Cadenhead. Still this is an affront to the school and the town’s sensibilities, in his opinion.

“Our middle school kids were very upset that this happened,” said Kraemer. “They know that this is their school and it has been attacked and defaced.” Kraemer said he would institute immediate school-wide security measures, including locking of all gates during school hours and requiring any school visitors, including parents of students, to come to the office and sign in before proceeding onto campus. “This will be a closed campus during the school day,” he said. “I’m doing this to maintain a safer student environment for students and staff.”

Kraemer contacted Town Hall Recreation Director Bob Lewis to consult on the incident since the community uses school facilities at night. “I’ve asked him to contact Community Patrol to see if they could patrol the campus while community recreation events are taking place.”

Kraemer said the new security measures would remain in effect for the time being.

       Marshall Smith can be reached at marshall@towncrier.com.

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