'KKK' Scrawled Into Palo Alto Middle School Bathrooms

PALO ALTO, CA — “KKK” was found scrawled in the two restrooms at Fletcher Middle School last week, Palo Alto police said.

On Wednesday, May 11, police responded to a vandalism report from the school, PAPD said in a news release. School staff had already removed the graffiti before police arrived.

An investigation found that the vandalism had occurred in two separate boys’ restrooms on both Tuesday and Wednesday. In both cases, the suspect had written “KKK” using a pen or marker. On Tuesday, it was written on a bathroom stall, and on Wednesday, it was written on a toilet paper dispenser and walls.

Police say they believe the same suspect committed both crimes. This is the second hate crime investigated in Palo Alto schools in 2022, police say. In January, police found a “racial epithet directed at Black people” on a sign on the grounds of El Carmelo Elementary School. The suspect had crossed out a cartoon image on the same sign, which depicted two non-white children. School officials removed the sign as soon as they found it. That case remains open, with no arrests or suspects identified. Police say they don’t have any evidence that the two incidents are connected.

Anyone who witnesses a hate crime is encouraged to call the 24-hour hotline at 650-239-2413, or 911 if it’s an emergency. Anyone with information on either incident is asked to call that same number, or email anonymous tips to paloalto@tipnow.org, or text 650-383-8984.

To view details on other hate crimes reported in Palo Alto, visit www.cityofpaloalto.org/PAPDnews and search by keyword “hate.”