At Alameda schools, racist graffiti met by mass ‘greeting’ events

At Alameda schools, racist graffiti met by mass ‘greeting’ events

The racist graffiti painted on the walls at Edison Elementary School in Alameda over the weekend was gone, but parents and students refused to let the hateful message linger in anyone’s mind Monday as they lined the school walkway to greet all families with a warm welcome.

The crime was one of hundreds of racially charged incidents reported across the country after the election of Donald Trump, including the waving of the Confederate flag at the Veterans Day parade in Petaluma and the painting of the words “Heil Trump” and a swastika near a San Diego bus stop.

The Alameda school district had already been promoting that message across the city in response to concerns raised over LGBT curriculum presented in city schools.

After the word of the graffiti spread over the weekend, parents and community members decided to reinforce the message with signs and mass welcome committees at several schools.

Fifth grader Ryan McCalmont stood along the entryway at the school just after 8 a.m., holding a handmade sign with the word “hate” crossed out above, “Fight against oppression.”

“I think it’s just special because you get to tell the people, like, just because Trump won, you can’t start treating people like that,” he said.