Video Page 2009 - News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports | (http://www.news9.com/Global/category.asp?C=116601&clipId=4623717&autostart=true)

Have you seen this? This is a really bad case of destructive vandelism. I hope they catch the thugs who did this - they have two young men on video tape. They should throw the book at them. Apparently, in addition to the obscenties on the wall, there was a lot of racial slurs. And the damage was quite substantial.

They don't know if these young men did all six episodes of vandalism (since November) but even one instance is too much. If my kid did that, I don't know what I would do. We might both end up in jail. Chances are, he'd get out before I did...

I'm not an overly emotional person, but wathcing that story made me angry. Partly because I know and have met Sister Veronica Higgins at the Villa Teresa School off Classen and 12th (its literally right across the street for my job) and I know how hard she works to keep her schools and students in line. In fact I actually at first thought it was the midtown campus. I can't speak for the school off Western, but I know the midtown school has had a lean year financially, and our company has donated some office material to them over the past 7 months.

I hope when they find these stupid punk kids, they make their parents 100% financially responsible for the damage, because when your kid thinks its okay to vandalize a catholic school 6 TIMES you have failed miserably as a parent. Seriously, I'm trying to think of every possible reason a teen could think of doing this, and I cannot come up with one besides just being messed up in the head.

Penny, you are exactly right. If that were me doing this, chances are both me and my dad would be sitting in jail after he was done with me.

That is terrible. I have never understood why kids vandalize like that.

2000 hours of community service if they are caught.

Not to mention a stern discussion and fine for the parents if they are under 18

Not only has there been vandalism at Villa Teresa, there has been a significant increase in the numbers of businesses and residential properties vandalized by various groups of "taggers." I even saw an empty freight trailer parked in front of one the light industrial businesses near SE 29 and High painted with Klan slogans.
Sister Veronica said there were religious and racial slurs painted on the walls as well as the destruction of classroom materials. I pray we aren't about to witness an upswing in Klan activity like we did 20 years ago when the oil patch went bust and the savings and loan industry was in near collapse. Then, Moore and other areas of the Metro were the scenes of Klan recruiting rallies and other activity.
How ironic this is happening when the Oklahoma legislature is considering ways to avoid federal Hate Crime laws.

Klan activity???? Come on. This was kids at VT. They have them on videotape. Let's not try to use this to futher a political agenda.

I was here twenty years ago and I don't know anything about this klan activity. Could I find it in the Oklahoman archives? Is there any criminal cases I could pull up to substantiate that there was klan activity warranting prosecution?

Agreed, show some evidence of Klan activity of the type you are talking about 20 years ago that was any different than any other time.

It truly is a sad state of affairs. Too many young people today seem to have too much time on their hands and too little parental involvement in their lives. Sister Veronica stated that there were racial as well as religious slurs painted on the walls.
Driving on the streets of OKC, I have noticed an increase int the amount of gang graffiti recently. I also witnessed a freight trailer parked near SE 29 and High with Klan sign painted all over it. To the credit of the business it was parked in front of, the trailer was moved within an hour.
God forbid we are about to return to the days of church burnings and anti-Catholic sentiment so prevalent in the early history of Oklahoma. And let us not forget; it hasn't been 20 years since the Klan was actively recruiting high schoolers in and near Moore High School and other areas of the the Metro.
Isn't it odd? There is a bill pending in the Oklahoma legislature that would exempt us from the federal hate crime laws.

I didn't see the kids on videotape wearing sheets. Sigh. People see this as an opportunity to trump up fear to get that legislative bill through despite the complete lack of evidence. Just because these teens put racial slurs doesn't mean they are klan related. They are NOT the same thing. Plenty of knuckleheads cast racial slurs and the klan is the furtherest thing on their minds. These were KIDS.