Racist, homophobic graffiti found at FlexTech High School in Brighton
BRIGHTON, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - For one Metro Detroit high school, the new school year got off to an unnerving start after racist and homophobic graffiti was found in the school's parking lot.
Students and faculty were shocked to find homophobic slurs and racist images drawn around the parking lot of FlexTech High School in Brighton on the first day of classes this week.
School director Steve Hope says it was an awful sight for students and staff.
"We were all devastated. Like, why would somebody do this, especially on the first day of school," said Hope. "This is not the welcoming environment that we want for our students as they come in for the first day. We'd just like to know why would somebody do something like this?"
That's a question school officials and the Livingston County Sheriff's Department are trying to answer.
While students are waiting to get answers, they transformed the situation into an opportunity to come together.
"They just took it on as, 'Hey, we can do something about this,'" Hope said. "This morning, many of our students came out, and they just turned all these hate-filled messages into messages of unity and hope and positive messages.
"I love them for their creativity. They learned some great lessons here. Our teachers rallied around this and of course, taught students about hate speech, crimes, and freedom of speech. These are all great lessons right here in our own parking lot, which we're not happy about, but these are great lessons for our students to learn as they become adults."
One of the biggest lessons the students learned is that even out of hate, love can blossom.
