South Windsor Town Council Denounces Graffiti, Assumptions About Students

Members of the Town Council on Monday evening took turns in equal measure condemning the hate-based graffiti spray painted at the high school, lauding the police department in identifying a suspect and criticizing the Human Relations Commission for prematurely assuming that the vandal was a South Windsor High student.

South Windsor police announced Monday that they had identified an adult male suspect who allegedly spray painted swastikas, messages referencing the Newtown shootings and statements critical of President Barack Obama on the high school late Thursday or early Friday of last week.

While the suspect had not yet been identified, police said that the individual was not a South Windsor High School student.

Councilor Dr. Saud Anwar said at the council’s regular meeting on Monday that the town has “zero-tolerance for that activity.”

Anwar also credited the police department for identifying the individual.

Jason Rivera, 29, of 493 Griffin Road, was charged with desecration of property and criminal mischief in the second degree. Rivera was held on $100,000 court set bond and will be presented at Manchester Superior Court on Wednesday.

“Our police department has always done an excellent job,” Anwar said.
But Councilor Jan Snyder said she found it “disturbing” that a press release from the town’s Human Relations Commission rushed to judgment that at least one student from South Windsor High School was responsible for the graffiti.

“My concern is the accusatory press release saying it was a student while the matter was under investigation,” Snyder said. “We didn’t know that yet. [It’s] best to be quiet and let the police department do its job.”

Snyder said that she was looking for guidance to “prevent this from happening again.”

The human relations commission reports back to the Town Council.
Mayor Tom Delnicki, on behalf of the council, apologized to South Windsor High School and its students.

“Our students in our community are of a higher standard than that,” Delnicki said. “I apologize on behalf of the Town Council and all of the commissions.”

But Councilor Keith Yagaloff said that the focus should be on the person who wrote the hateful graffiti on the school building.

“It’s the community’s response that is important,” Yagaloff said. “My position is to focus on the act itself, and condemnation for that act.”

Anwar agreed, stating that the focus should be on the issue that someone committed a crime. Anwar called on the council to remain united against the vandal’s actions.