Allsion Burgess
Poway Unified is considered to be one of the most highly ranked, prestigious school districts in the state of California. Even though it is well respected by many, our very own Westview High School found spray paint on campus with Swastikas, graphic images and other racial slurs. The fact that this incident occurred in such a prominent school district is proof enough that hatred bleeds into highschool culture.
One might assume whoever vandalized the campus had comical intentions, but ultimately, this only minimizes the severity of the situation. Such bigotry propagated as humor reminds minorities of the real-life oppression they have to face on a daily basis, and forces them to remain silent, in fear of being looked at as sensitive.
Westview Administration has handled the situation by
covering up the graffiti and informing students and families of their intolerance of hate inside and outside of campus. What makes this situation so disheartening is in modern, progressive times, society is still dealing with such prejudice. This discouraging circumstance is a perfect opportunity for Westview and all Poway Unified students to rise above and stop tolerating hate. The only way to prevent situations like this from reoccurring is to remind students that hatred has serious repercussions and should not be taken lightly.
