Evening star., 1952-03-17
Group Formed
For Repression
OF Vandalism
Many Organizations
Distressed by Rising
= Cost Of Mischief

from an imp Of mischief to a giant
of expense, has a new enemy.
Alarmed over the rising cost Of
maliciously broken windows. Of
slashed streetcar seats and marred
public buildings, the new Civic
Responsibility Committe is train
ing its nights on the vandal.
y Chairman OF the committee is
Mrs. Alma M. Shugrue, principal
Of the Kingsman School, Four
teenth and E stretssN.E. On her
group are represent natives Of
schools, police. business houses.
public utilities. citizens associa-
tiol1s. fraterral groups, parent
teacher associations, the Board Of
Trade. Junior Chamber Of Com
merce,g Recreation Department,
Bar Association. and National
Capital Parks, to oSname 3 few.
!. The committees campaign win
be one Of legislation, education,
public relations and expanded po-
licing-particularly ii the schools.
SCuUUAS 0G2E DkWuSs
Because the schools bear the
br1nt Of vandalism, The campaign
focuses its brightest lights there
But the authorities point out van
daIism is not confined to children
by a long shot. for hotels. the
public parks, theaters, streetcars
and buses, public buildings. street
lights and other things feel the
weight of the heavy hand Of wan
ton destruction.
The vandalism toll here in
cludes: $500 annual cost to the
Capital Transit Co. for slashed
seats, broken windows and other
destruction. The company has a.
standing offer of a $25 reward
for leading to the arrest Of per-
sons causing this damage. Some
times passengers are injured by
flying glass, caused when snow
balls, tomatoes. eggs. stones and
other articles are thrown at al
passing vehicle.
il Around 100000 damage yearly
to schools s-$3, 900 of it in broken
window panes alone; $4,000 an
nual loss to the Potomac Electric
Power Co. in street lights
broken-4,000 glass globes being
broken annually by vandalism
mainly by sticks. stones and BBI
rifles. P. N. Woodson, company
official, said ''some sections oil
the city cannot have glasses onI
the lights because of the heavy
destruction"
Some Injuries Noted.
Sometimes children and other
individuals are injured b this
vandalism. .,.assas
Leaders In the campaignehopel
that it will bear fruit III IegiSla-
ton that will fix responsibility
on parents for financial damage
done by their children. Also needed,
they say, is a public trespass Law,
which bans unwelcone visitorsl
from District buildings. As mat
ters now stand. school prin-t
cipal cannot legally eject al
visitor from The building.
AS practical moves to reduce
vandalism. these steps are under
way:
A request for 80 additional
watchmen in the school system.
A slogan contest in public, pri-
vate and parochial schools that
will end March 81. A daily coursel
of social studies in an effort toll
impress children that public prop
erty belongs to them, that theyt
should take care of it and respectI
their own and others property.
Radio and TV Appeals.
Spot announcements on tele-
vision and radio during May and
June. during station breaks par
ticularly before and after chill
dren's programs. Material pro-
duced during the slogan contest
will be utilized in this effort.
A ''bill of responsibilities" to bel
worked out for the City of Wash
tngton, to impress on childrenI
and others that there are duties,
as well as rights, under the Amer
ican Government. The Shepherd
School at Fourteenth and KalmiaI
streets NV. has tackled this
problem with notable success.
Mrs. Alice Baker is In charge of
this program. which the .childrenl
themselves write. DR.. Carl FL
Hansen. associate superintendent
Of schools, deems this a very
worthwhile project.
Mrs. Shugrue says of vandal-
ism: 1--WE must make the people
see that they are losing many
thousands of dollars directly and
indirectly each year and adding
to the tax burden through this
menace"
School Council Helps.
The Inter-High School STUDENT
Council has taken over this prof.
ect at the student level in the
high schools, DR.. Hansen pointed
out. Parent teacher associations,
through their bulletins and other
wise, are focusing attention on
the problem. he observed. Text
book writer's and publishers are
stressing civic responsibility In
their works.
1--WE don't expect any miracles, ),
said DR.. Hansen. ''ThiS problem
is deep-seated and hard to reach
and will take years to meet"
Dr. Hansen observed that at the
Ketcl1am school. Fifteenth and U1
streets Sc. it was recently neces-
sary to replace . great number
OF windows. He said at the Lang
ley Junior High School, First and
T streets Me-. rs windows had tol
be replaced recently.
He emphasized that vandalism
is not confined to any particular
section Of the city.
Records Destruction Cited.
John M. Riecks, associate super
intendent in charge Of buildings
and Grounds. said that permanent
records. kept In each school hliifd-