Vandals tag South Bay nieghborhood with racist graffiti

MORGAN HILL, Calif. (KGO) -- Morgan Hill police say vandals in that city went on a destructive tear overnight.

In its wake, two smashed cars, a tagged home and what appears to be racist graffiti at Paradise Valley Elementary.

"I was shocked and hurt that people would actually waste their time doing destruction like that," said Maria Lebbiel, a Morgan Hill resident, who lives near Paradise Valley Elementary School.

Police say the school was tagged sometime Thursday night or early Friday morning.

"With the tags that were on the school property, and the walls, concrete, as well as the doors, we believe it were juveniles, based on what was tagged," explained Sgt. Ray Ramos with the Morgan Hill Police Department.

References to the Ku Klux Klan, rap lyrics, a rock band, the use of marijuana and other graphic images that police say teenagers would find funny, were sprayed all over campus.

The graffiti was first noticed by the school's custodian at 6:30 a.m. Friday.

Maintenance crews quickly sprang into action using butcher paper to cover up the graffiti and then painted over it throughout the day.

District leaders weren't amused.

"Vandalism, I think, speaks to crime. And even though it didn't occur while students were there, we want our students to feel safe while they're at school," said Fawn Myers with the Morgan Hill school district.

Just down the road, police say one house was tagged and two vehicles were smashed.

Carrie Dent came out to find her car hit by the vandals.

"It was really not nice. It was totally not funny, and definitely not cool. So, it's not appreciated at all," said Dent.

Neighbors have been stunned over everything that happened.

"It kind of makes people fearful to just take a walk outside or driving at night, and nobody should be fearful in their own neighborhood," sid Lebbiel.

Anyone with information that could help investigators is urged to call Morgan Hill police.