St. Clair Shores' Lakeview High School became the scene of a disheartening display of racial hostility this week, when school officials discovered racist graffiti on the exterior of the building. As reported by WWJ Newsradio, the vandalism included hateful speech and slurs against Black individuals, prompting a swift removal of the words and an ongoing internal and police investigation into the matter.
Details regarding what was specifically written were scant, however, photos making the rounds on social media captured the offensive nature of the graffiti, the images even more jarring nestled high upon the school's exterior wall, the act itself a painful reminder that while academic institutions should be sanctuaries of enlightenment and inclusion, they sometimes fall prey to the shadows of ignorance and bigotry a situation that Lakeview Public Schools superintendent Karl Paulson condemned stating, "This act of hate and intolerance is unacceptable and will not be ignored" according to a CBS News Detroit report.
Following the incident, there was an outcry over the school's initial communications with parents, as the principal’s email did not directly acknowledge the nature of the graffiti. According to Metro Times, St. Clair Shores activist Melissa Crook criticized the school's approach, remarking, "The fact is, ignoring what the graffiti says is aiding in upholding white supremacy,” further underscoring that such incidents must be openly addressed to dismantle the systems that preserve racism.
