Graffiti at French immersion school prompts FBI investigation

The San Francisco Police Department and FBI are investigating a possible hate crime at a school in the city’s Hayes Valley neighborhood.

The French American International School on Oak Street is a private school that offers students a French immersion experience.

On Tuesday, maintenance workers noticed an Islamic symbol painted on a schoolyard wall and the playground surface. The school immediately called police.

“Originally there was concern that it might be tied to ISIS, but our preliminary investigation shows that it's not that,” said San Francisco Police Capt. Greg McEachern. “It's more of a domestic group and our special investigations division are looking into the vandalism, trying to figure out who did it, what their reasons were.”

The SFPD Special Investigation Division is working to determine if the graffiti it amounts to a hate crime.

According to Wikipedia, the symbol represents the Five Percenters, an American organization created in the 60’s. One of the founders had been with the National of Islam and was a student of Malcom X.

The school’s playground was closed to students while police investigated.  The following statement was released to parents later in the day:

Anyone with information on this crime is asked to call the Anonymous Tip Line at (415) 575-4444