Racially motivated violence between black and Hispanic students at Silverado High School is overflowing from the campus onto the neighboring streets

Gretchen Losi:

Principal Tracy Marsh said that although there’s been a decrease of major issues on the campus this year, the conflicts are alive and well — and finding their way to the streets after school.

“As we stop problems on the campus, where are they going to go? They go off campus, and we see them from a distance and wonder, ‘What do we do here guys?’ ” Marsh said. “My heart goes out to the residents there. I’m sure it’s not something they thought about when they bought their house.”

The problem is racial and stems from a small group of about 75 students, Marsh said.

“I’ll be doggone if I’m going to let these 75 kids mess things up for us. If we could just tap them and get rid of them, then the issues would be gone,” Marsh said. “We know who they are. When the opportunity comes, they’re out of here.”

Jason Dougherty, a Cobalt Road resident, lives two blocks from the school. He said for about 45 minutes a day his neighborhood shifts from a quiet existence to a war zone.

“We become infested with gang-bangers. We’ve seen brutal fights and total disregard for our homes, cars and families,” Dougherty said. “It’s like something straight out of South Central.”

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