No arrests made 3 weeks after Sacramento vice principal was targeted with racist graffiti

Sacramento police continue to investigate an incident in which racist graffiti targeting a vice principal was painted on a building at West Campus High School. However, three weeks after the alleged hate crime, no suspects have been identified.

In November, the N-word was written five times in large font on a campus building facing a parking lot near vice principal Elysse Versher’s parking space. Versher is Black.

“Detectives are conducting a thorough investigation and reviewing footage to see if there is any evidentiary value,” said SPD spokeswoman Sabrina Briggs in an email.

Versher said she was told last week that it has been difficult to identify suspects because surveillance camera footage is of a poor quality. Police would not confirm whether surveillance footage captured images of the suspects.

“Detectives did get images of a group of students that were in the area for an extended time,’” Versher said in a text message to The Bee. “The lack of camera footage in the specific area near my parking spot makes it hard to know for certain if they are responsible.”

Meanwhile, Versher said the students behind racist statements made on social media the weekend before the graffiti was discovered are claiming their Instagram accounts were hacked.

West Campus principal John McMeekin released a video statement to West Campus families on Sunday addressing the incidents, condemning racism and hatred, and expressing support for Versher.

McMeekin said there is more work to be done to make the school emotionally safe and inclusive for all students, and to ensure that everyone feels a sense of belonging.

“We will resume the work of healing as a school community,” said McMeekin. “I want to be clear, we will not tolerate any racially offensive language or other forms of racism on our campus.”