Graffiti – Schmitz Park Elementary

[Schmitz Park Dad]

My daughter attends Schmitz Park Elementary. Over the weekend, Schmitz Park Elementary School was badly tagged with graffiti. This is the third time in just four weeks that this elementary school has been tagged with graffiti. It appears to be the same person(s) committing the vandalism. Last week the vandals covered an entire wall with graffiti, which included a large image of a gun. It is a very sad sight to see the expressions on young children’s faces when they come to school and realize that their school has been vandalized. The school has been terrific about quickly painting over the graffiti. Unfortunately, the vandals are persistent.

We know that all three taggings were done over weekends, most likely late in the evening. I am requesting that any Schmitz Park Elementary parents, or other community members in the neighborhood, make an extra effort to drive by the school in the evenings, particularly over the weekends. Perhaps one of us will spot the vandals and the authorities can be notified. The graffiti on all occasions has been on the north (rear) wall of the property by the very back playground. The best location to view the potential vandalism in process is approaching the school heading west on SW Hinds Street, then turning left (south) onto the alley just west of 49th Avenue SW. There is absolutely no good reason for anyone to be on the playground late at night, so if you see someone, please call 911 immediately. Hopefully the police will catch the vandals with spray paint in their backpacks and make arrests.

Thank you for your help.

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[celeste17]

Maybe you can coordinate a parent to be there for say an hour and have a rotating group to do it.

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[Schmitz Park Dad]

I would like to thank the neighborhood and the community for keeping an eye on this elementary school over the past week. We have gone a whole week without a graffiti tagging. That might not seem like a big deal, but this particular elementary school previously was tagged 3 our of the 4 past weeks. It is a big deal to the children (and parents) to arrive at school in the morning and see the walls free of graffiti. I understand that West Seattle High School and Arbor Heights Elementary School have been tagged simultaneously with Schmitz Park Elementary. Perhaps we can also do citizen patrols around those schools to help them stay graffiti-free as well. West Seattle children deserve to be able to attend schools without graffiti.

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[inactive]

SchmitzParkDad –

What an interesting possibility; I wonder what the schools’ PTSA’s would think of it? Maybe track their leadership down and open a discussion with them?

I’m glad for the SP kids and families that the disrespectful jitterbugs seem to have quieted down. What you and your group have been trying to do is wonderful; you are definitely making all of WS a better place, even if it’s pretty darn great already, because you stepped up to the plate. Thanks and I wish you success in moving your project to other schools.

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