CATONSVILLE, Md. — An off-duty police officer has repeatedly washed away messages left in chalk by students at a Maryland elementary school, the school’s principal confirmed to multiple media outlets.
Students at Hillcrest Elementary School in Catonsville have been leaving messages scripted in chalk in support of the Black Lives Matter movement as a way to help black students feel welcome when classes resume. A man identified by Baltimore County police as an off-duty officer from another jurisdiction, however, has been removing the messages without permission, WMAR reported.
Meanwhile, WBAL-TV obtained video of the unidentified man scrubbing the salutations and affirmations from brick walls and sidewalks across the campus.
“I don’t understand why they are washing it away. It’s just a silent protest kind of,” Stanley Simonsen, a student, told the TV station.
The chalk art first began appearing in March after schools were closed to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus with most comments reflecting love for the school and support for teachers. Following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd in police custody, however, a former student, Gabe Plusen, wrote a message on the building to support his sister, who begins kindergarten at Hillcrest in the fall, WBAL-TV reported.
“With all that’s going on right now, I thought Catonsville needed to have a change, and I wanted to make it better for her and any other black person that is coming into the school and in the community,” Plusen told the TV station.
The periodic scrubbings began shortly after Plusen’s message and have continued, prompting more students and members of the community to contribute their chalked messages following each washing, WBAL-TV reported.
In an end-of-year letter to students, Hillcrest Principal Jennifer Lynch wrote: “Our families reciprocated that love and support by creating viral chalk art displays on our building. These art displays not only provided messages of support and encouragement during very unsettling times, but they also created a visual representation of our strength as a community.
“During these difficult times, our communities of color have not only been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, but they have also been disproportionately impacted by unjust police practices. These are not easy times in our nation, and yet our Hillcrest family once again demonstrated that love is the way forward. Recently students and families created new viral art messages of love, peace, hope, and acknowledgment of the current struggles to our communities of color as well as messages and love and support to our men and women in blue. From all of us at Baltimore County Public Schools and Hillcrest Elementary School, we would like to thank you for your unyielding support,” Lynch added.