LA PLATA, Md. - The Charles County Sheriff’s Office has reported the occurrence of yet another hate crime. This time the Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School in Waldorf was targeted. In additional to graffiti-based slurs targeted at African-Americans, references were made to three local gangs. Minor physical damage to the building was also sustained.
According to police, sometime between 11 p.m. March 16 and 7:30 a.m. March 19, suspect(s) used a black marker to write racially offensive and gang-related graffiti on the playground equipment at Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School located at 421 University Drive in Waldorf. The suspect(s) wrote "White Power," "KKK," and another racially offensive phrase. They also wrote references to three gangs, the Bloods and Crips, which have members in Prince George’s County, and the Cut Boyz, a youth gang based in Charles County. Several light bulbs were broken and the building was damaged by paintballs.
The school’s juvenile resource officer, the Charles County Hate Crimes Task Force and the Homeland Security and Intelligence Section, which monitors gang activity, are investigating the incident.
The Sheriff’s Office is hosting a previously scheduled community gang awareness and prevention meeting March 22 at 7 p.m. at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School, located at 2040 St. Thomas Drive in Waldorf. Anyone interested in learning more about gangs and how to prevent them is encouraged to attend.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to contact the Charles County Sheriff’s Office at 301-932-7777 or Charles County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS.