Published on Jan. 5 | Updated on Jan. 7
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia police are investigating after Roxborough High School was vandalized on Saturday night with antisemitic remarks and images, including swastikas, and incorrectly spelled racist epithets.
Police found a red Rust-Oleum can at the nearby Gorgas Recreation Center, which was also vandalized. The school has surveillance video.
Superintendent Tony Watlington said the school district is working very closely with the police department to try to catch the perpetrators.
On Wednesday, Philadelphia police released surveillance video of the suspect:
In a statement to school families, principal Kristin Williams Smalley said, “acts of discrimination, hate speech, and harassment are unacceptable,” and the school has a “zero-tolerance policy for harassment or hate speech of any kind.”
“[We] will investigate all matters involving racist remarks and other hate speech,” she said. “We all play a role in supporting a positive and supportive school culture. We encourage you to speak with your children and have conversations about the seriousness and potential consequences of these unacceptable behaviors.”
On Sunday, community members pitched in to remove the graffiti before the school reopened on Monday. They also used chalk to write messages of love, inclusion and belonging on the school’s sidewalks.
"Our team, as well as community members in the Roxborough High School community, came together to clean that school up and stand firmly and say, 'We will not tolerate this,'" Watlington said.
Meredith Elizalde, whose son Nicolas was gunned down at the school three and a half years ago, told NBC10 she was at the school to provide support.
"This community in particular has been traumatized enough since my son was murdered here. Our students need to see positivity and love and support,” she said.
In a statement, Philadelphia City Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. said, “Hate has no home in Roxborough or anywhere for that matter.” Pennsylvania state Rep. Tarik Khan added, “Our community is bigger than a racist, and one who cannot even spell at that.”