LOS ALAMITOS : Racist Vandalism Spurs More Security

Private security guards are being posted this weekend at Los Alamitos High School after vandals broke into classrooms earlier this week and plastered the walls with swastikas and inserted white-supremacist flyers in students’ lockers.

Police said Friday that they will also increase patrols around the school because the school’s football team will play in a championship game tonight.

Although the match against Esperanza High School in the Southern Section Division II finals will be at Cerritos College in Norwalk, school officials say a post-game gathering sponsored by boosters is expected to bring a large number of people into the school.

“I don’t think the activities will trigger more attacks,” said school Principal Carol Hart. “But the increased security will surely help.”

Police Chief James Guess said Friday that investigators are following up leads on the vandalism that occurred early Monday, but so far have no suspects.

“We’re trying to track down some names,” Guess said. “The problem is, we don’t have any witnesses.”

He said he is not aware of any organized neo-Nazis or skinheads, either at the school or elsewhere in the city. “This is the first (vandalism of that type) brought to my attention,” he said.

According to a police report, an alarm was set off at the school at 1:16 a.m. Monday. Responding officers found three windows smashed and two rooms ransacked. After conferring with school officials, police determined that five video recorders were stolen.

However, Guess said, the burglary may not be related to the vandalism. “It may or may not be done by the same person or persons,” he said.

Students found the flyers inserted in their lockers when they came to class Monday. The flyers contained white supremacist slogans and racial slurs, according to Jason Wucetich, the student body president.

“We’re very outraged by the incident,” Wucetich said. “We’re totally against racism.”

He said several students in higher grades are being trained to talk to first-year students about the attack.

Wucetich said students have also passed out rainbow-colored ribbons and placed posters around the campus calling for racial harmony.