Caldwell police no longer believe ‘White Power’ graffiti at high school to be hate crime
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The Caldwell Police Department said in a news release Friday night that it no longer believes the vandalism at Caldwell High School was a hate crime.
The Statesman reported Thursday that someone had spray painted the words “White Power” on the side of the high school two days after students held a “Brown Pride” protest.
According to the Friday release, police said they no longer believe the incident to be motivated by hate, but rather it was “an act of intimidation between two rival Hispanic criminal street gangs from Caldwell.”
Detectives said they used video evidence and other factors discovered in the investigation to make this determination. No suspects have been identified, though.
“Detectives believe that the ‘White Power’ tagging was a diversion tactic used by the gang to avoid law enforcement detection and was possibly done to exploit the recent protest at Caldwell High School,” police said in the release. “It is common for gang members to vandalize property in their attempt to create fear and intimidation within the community.”
Caldwell police initially said four individuals in dark hoodies and face masks were seen on Caldwell High’s security camera spray painting “White Power” on the building at 1:15 a.m. Thursday. Now, police said they believe eight individuals committed the vandalism.
Police said the suspects arrived in two vehicles — the first group arriving in a white four-door passenger car and the second shortly after in a dark-colored truck or SUV.
“I am proud of the investigative effort given by our detectives in this matter, who quickly determined this incident to not be a hate crime,” Caldwell Police Chief Rex Ingram said in the release. “Unfortunately, this incident has already affected the lives of many in our community.”
Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call 343-COPS or non-emergency dispatch at 208-454-7531.
‘White Power’ written at CHS days after ‘Brown Pride’ protest
CHS students held a “Brown Pride” protest on Tuesday, about a month after a student was told to remove her hoodie because it had those words on it.
Brenda Hernandez, a student at CHS, told the Statesman that the week before winter break in December, her principal and several teachers asked her to remove her “Brown Pride” hoodie or turn it inside out because others could find it “racist.” School staff compared it to wearing a “white pride” shirt, she said.
Fred Betancourt, a Future Hispanic Leaders of America adviser at Caldwell High, told the Statesman in an email that Hernandez felt as if she was “accused of being a gangster” for wearing the shirt.
In an interview with KTVB, Caldwell High Principal Anita Wilson said the words “Brown Pride” are associated with gangs.
Jessica Watts, Caldwell School District spokesperson, told the Idaho Statesman in an email that the term “Brown Pride” is associated with several street gangs operating in the Northwest, and students may not wear clothing affiliated with gangs. She said a gang that operates in Caldwell and Nampa calls themselves the “Brown Pride Surenos,” or “BPS.”
The Caldwell School District’s dress code states: Students are not to wear or carry items of apparel, clothing, accessories, cosmetics, tattoos — temporary and/or permanent, body markings, jewelry – including body piercings, which depict or allude to: drugs —including alcohol and tobacco; controlled substances; drug paraphernalia; gangs; violence; sexually explicit, lewd, indecent content; promoting or encouraging bullying.
Hernandez said she is not part of a gang and simply wants to show pride in her Mexican-American heritage. She said the reaction from teachers and the principal felt like a violation of her rights. The clothes she was wearing came from Jefitos Hats — a family-owned business that sells Chicano-style apparel in Caldwell.
Hernandez posted a TikTok video of the protest on Tuesday, showing a group of students with signs reading “Brown Pride” and “We refuse to lose and let our culture die.” The video also appeared to show a teacher refusing to let a student into her classroom after the protest. Hernandez’s video went viral, with nearly 400,000 likes and 9,000 comments.
Hernandez said she has gathered more than 400 signatures to petition to change the dress code policy.
This story was originally published January 21, 2023 at 11:18 AM.
