Signal Staff Writer
bcharles@the-signal.com
661-259-1234 x517
Posted: Nov. 13, 2008 10:08 p.m.
Marcia Davis said she wanted to steer away from controversy and toward healing Thursday.
But that was hard one day after her sons were the target of anti-Semitic and homophobic slurs tagged on a gym locker, Davis said.
Students and twins Alex and Todd Davis were the targets of the hateful expressions at Saugus High School on Wednesday.
The twin brothers walked into the gym locker room at the beginning of fourth period and discovered a swastika on Todd Davis' locker, along with anti-gay slurs. The boys immediately alerted school officials and their parents.
A day later, it was still difficult to shake the image from their heads, Alex Davis said.
"You're terrified. Now you feel over-protective," Alex Davis said at a meeting between concerned Jewish parents, students and Saugus school officials Thursday.
Marcia Davis said she is sure the swastikas and the anti-gay slurs were aimed at both of her sons.
"Someone is watching them and knows they're Jewish. The graffiti was meant for my boys," she said.
Bill Bolde, Saugus High School principal, stood before a packed classroom of students, teachers and parents, assuring them the school is not a place that tolerates hatred.
"Disrespect of any person - I don't care what it is - I don't stand for that, and my administration doesn't stand for it," he said.
Rabbi Mark Blazer of Temple Beth Ami said the problem goes beyond the school.
"We have a problem and it is not breeding in the schools. It's coming from outside the school," Blazer said. "The problem is just expressed in school."
That expression didn't start Wednesday, parent Doreen Hawbecker said. Her daughter attended Arroyo Seco Junior High School and was often the target of anti-Semitic slurs. "She was called Christ-killer," Hawbecker said.
Elysa Kaswan, a parent of a Saugus student, said her daughter's Star of David was stolen and thrown away by another student who remarked, "It was a Jewish piece of junk."
Stories of hatred bounced around the room Thursday, and so did answers. One of those answers was the suggestion of forming a Jewish heritage club.
"It would be a safe place to express our heritage," said Seth Kaswan, a Saugus High student.
Alex Davis isn't so sure about a Jewish club. "It could be uncomfortable. You could be retaliated against," he said.
Bolde encouraged the students to start a Jewish club. He also encouraged the club to include students from all religious, racial and ethnic backgrounds as a way to teach Jewish culture.
But Bolde admitted forming such a club might not be easy.
"It takes challenges. It takes walking tall," he said.
Eileen Block walked tall for 34 years. She is a teacher at Saugus High School and said anti-Semitism is deeply rooted in the community.
"I've seen people not comfortable to declare they're Jewish," she said. Block fought back tears and released years of frustration based on trying to explain why students take school days off for the Jewish Holy Days in the fall and why some kids can't attend Friday night football games.
She was also frustrated about people using the word "tolerance," she said.
"The word ‘tolerance' means ‘I'll leave you alone, but I'm not sure I like you,'" she said.
Bolde assured parents the school is investigating the locker vandalism and perpetrators will be disciplined if caught.
"In our history, hate crimes have led to suspension or expulsion," he said.
Bolde also told parents that the conversation Thursday was the beginning of a longer conversation on diversity.
"We made a good start today," he said.
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November 14, 2008 - 10:41 AM
My heart goes out to this family and also to the staff at Hart that feels this pain. As a person of the Jewish faith I do not feel that I have to be "tolerated!" People also need to see the contributions that our people have made to mankind. Look at the medical field for starters. If these folks want to "tolerate" us then I say we Jewish people withdraw all out discoveries and let the world suffer.
I also want to know where the school districts Superintendent of Diversity Gregg Lee and the Superintendent Castillanos were when this meeting was held. We they hiding again??? Both their faces need to be on the front page of this paper condoning this incident!
November 14, 2008 - 06:15 PM
It is no surprise to me that this happened. After the display of parents for the Yes on 8 all over town and the hatred displayed, why would we be surprised that our children have such attitudes about anyone who is different? This kind of thing is taught at home not in the schools.
November 15, 2008 - 03:16 AM
I don't see how any of these punishments help or gain trust from the victim or the community. I know enough about Saugus High School to know that it hasn't had any religious affiliation aside from a very strong right wing Christian Bible study club. They had (have?) a gay/straight alliance club, but it was never strongly supported by the school administrators or given a consistent sense of community support. I can't speak directly to the principal in charge, but when he pressures the vocal music department to sing Christmas carols at his home for private parties, and he's a very well known profile in his Baptist church (Grace Community)I don't think it's very easy for him to show diplomatic impartiality. Some have complained about what they sense is favoritism.
As said earlier, these violations are nothing new at Saugus High School. They have some attention now and they will probably put up a good show until the scrutiny dies down. After that they will stick to their closet bigotry and underscoring the outbursts of violent intolerance.
Until that pattern is completely broken and Saugus High School is known for supporting and promoting a campus of multicultural studies (not just "clubs")and an education that shows the greater contributions of all people (not just the punishment of the perpetrators of violence); until these ideals are pressed hard and endorsed by an administration that models this behavior, Saugus High School and its community will not be a comforting campus for any perceived minority or any victim of its violent hate crimes.
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