2nd Instance Of Racist Graffiti At Oak Park-River Forest In Days

OAK PARK, IL --- Staff at Oak Park-River Forest High School assembled what officials called a "crisis team" after a second instance of hate-fueled racist graffiti was found on the campus in less than a week. After the hate speech was discovered Tuesday, officials called a schoolwide assembly in which students staged a walkout, held a sit-in, and spoke out against racism and hate crimes.

In a post on the school's Facebook page, communications director Karin Sullivan said the most recent racist graffiti and the hate speech found the previous week had students, staff, and their families experiencing anxiety. Sullivan promised that the school's "primary goal is to ensure that all our students and staff feel safe and supported."

Anthony Clark, who teaches at OPRF and has actively fought for equity with the group Suburban Unity Alliance, was the apparent target of the racist speech scrawled on the wall of the school last week. Clark took to social media to praise students for being proactive at Tuesday's impromptu assembly. He also gave a nod to administrators and teachers who he said "stepped back and did a lot of listening."

He added that Superintendent Dr. Joylynn Pruitt-Adams told students "she hears their pleas [for] action now."

Pruitt-Adams sent a letter to students and parents saying the hate crimes have been reported to the Oak Park Police Department and were currently under investigation.

Administrators have scheduled a town hall entitled Community Conversation about Hate Crimes in Our Community: Coming Together for Change for 6 p.m. Wednesday in the school's South Cafeteria. In her letter, Pruitt-Adams said the town hall will center on "actions we can take as a community to eradicate intolerance and hate."

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