news story / By Heidi Walters

The Vax Vandals

Anti-vaccination activists unleash paint bombs on east county

(Oct. 1, 2009)  Some time between 6 o’clock Sunday night and early Monday morning, somebody journeyed between Willow Creek and Burnt Ranch spraying blood-red opposition to vaccinations on schools, medical clinics, sidewalks and the K-rails — concrete barriers — lining Highway 299.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department was still investigating, said Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Brenda Godsey on Monday afternoon.

The vandalized Six Rivers Medical Center in Willow Creek. Photo by Ken Malcomson

GALLERY >

Terry Bray, administrative assistant to the principal at Trinity Valley Elementary School, on Highway 96 in Willow Creek, arrived at work at 7:30 a.m. on Monday to see “SV40” and “VAX waiver” spray-painted in red on the school’s outside cafeteria wall, and a skull and crossbones spray-painted on the school’s new office sign in front. On the adjacent preschool they’d spray-painted “autism.”

At the Willow Creek Community Health Center, on Highway 299, “VAX” and a skull with Xs for eyes were spray-painted on the front of the building, and “SV40” and “autism” spray painted on one side and on the back of the building, all in two- to three-foot high red letters, said receptionist and medical records clerk Kelly Earls.

“It was a surprise,” she said.

At Six Rivers Medical Center, on Highway 96, “cancer,” “VAX,” “SV40” and a skull were spray painted on the front of the building, and “autism” was painted on the sidewalk in front of it.

Burnt Ranch Elementary School, 14 miles up the road in Trinity County, similarly was spray-painted with “VAX,” a skull and “VAX waiver.” Ironically, on Monday, the school held its first “celebration of character” assembly of the year, said Superintendent Sarah Supahan that evening.

“We emphasize a different character trait each month,” Supahan said. “And this month was ‘trustworthiness.’ So the teacher in charge was asking, ‘What does it mean to be trustworthy?’ And the students were giving different examples. And then one student said, ‘It means not spray-painting your school.’”

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