Houses and other surfaces were painted with swastikas, car tires were slashed and a Molotov cocktail was broken in the street, according to a police officer. Two of the juveniles were also charged with felony vandalism. A third, believed to be 15, was interviewed but had not been charged as of Wednesday.
Police say the youths had been drinking for several hours before they ran amok.
The incident troubled Jon Friedenberg, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater San Jose. I would say it points to the need to do more work on tolerance and ethnic diversity in the schools. Asians, whites and East Indians own homes in the east San Jose neighborhood, as does the family of one of the youths. However, no Jewish families are known to live in the immediate area. No arraignment date had been set by press time.