Thursday, February 17, 2000 Older Editions

Apologies for swastika

By Neil Fater

Nearly three months after Andover residents were confronted by a blazing symbol of hate, four Andover teens will issue a public apology for their roles in burning a swastika into the grass at Andover High School.

A Lawrence District Court judge this week ordered the teens to apologize to the town, to perform 80 to 120 hours of community service and take a civil-rights education program.

But the court will allow the four teens to have the incidents removed from their records if they keep out of trouble for up to three years.

Because of his lawyer's schedule, the fifth male allegedly involved in the swastika-burning incident had his case postponed until March 28.

Keith Jackson and Paul Wysocki, both 17, admitted Monday there were "facts sufficient for a guilty finding" for the charges of burning personal property, vandalizing property and willful injury to a school or church.

A 16- and 15-year-old male appeared in juvenile court Tuesday, and pled to similar charges.

Although the District Attorney's office dropped charges against the teens for civil rights violations, it asked the judge for a guilty finding on the other three charges.

"We in no way took the position that this was mere prank," says Assistant DA Alexander Cain.

But Judge Allan Jarasitis agreed with Wysocki's lawyer, Salim Tabit, who argued that a guilty finding against the teens could damage their efforts to acquire a job or gain admission to college.

"When you look at Paul -- and the others -- he's 17 years old. He has no prior criminal record. He has no history of violence. He has no history of criminal activity whatsoever," says Tabit.

Rabbi Robert Goldstein, of Andover's Temple Emanuel, was present at the Monday court appearance of Jackson and Wysocki. He also agreed with the judge's decision to avoid a guilty plea while requiring education, community service and an apology.

"The judge was very strong in his language to the young men that what they did was very wrong and very hurtful," says Goldstein. "But it also gave them a second chance."

Since the incident became known, Goldstein has called on the town to damn the students' action without ostracizing the students themselves.

"Both of them came to see me with their parents," says Goldstein. "I don't believe --certainly not -- that I have the authority to forgive them."

But, after speaking with both Wysocki and Jackson, Goldstein says, "I'm convinced that both of them are contrite and sincere in their apologies.

"I have to believe that there was remorse," he says. "I don't think it serves any purpose if we don't give them the opportunity to repent and move on. The judge said (Monday) that this is not something they'll forget, and I certainly think they won't."

In court, Wysocki read an apology he had written himself (see page 17).

"I can tell you in this case that Paul regrets his actions tremendously," says Tabit. "He is in no way anti-Semitic and he is in no way a hateful kid. I think his statement indicates that. It's something he couldn't say sooner because of the criminal charges."

What remains

But as a result of the judge's decision, Wysocki, Jackson and the two Andover juveniles who pled Tuesday will have to write another apology to a paper such as the Townsman.

Just how this will be handled by the 16- and 15-year-old students, whose privacy must be protected, remains to be seen.

"The issue is obviously their confidentiality," says Cain. "The juvenile probation officers might just require them to sign it, 'a juvenile.'"

The four must also take a media literacy program that deals with civil rights awareness. Cain says 30 kids attended DA Kevin Burke's Flashpoint II program last year, not all of them as a result of a court proceeding.

Finally, each of the four teens will also complete 120 hours of community service within the next six months.

Goldstein says this service is important because the swastika burning "hurt the community. Not just the Jewish community but the whole community."

"I think the implication was they hurt the community and now they have to help the community," he says.

If Jackson and Wysocki do this, and stay out of trouble for the next three years, they will have the record of the swastika-related charges erased from their files. The two juveniles must stay clean until they are 18.

Goldstein says he hopes the swastika-burning incident will help educate and change not just the teens involved, but the community at large.

"This was a terrible thing," says Goldstein. "One can't say it was for the good, because it hurt so many people. But it was also a catalyst for us to look at how we teach the Holocaust -- and maybe we're not doing a good enough job."

An apology

I'm sorry. I made a great mistake and I just wanted to write this letter to apologize to everyone I have hurt by my actions. I have never really understood the hate and offense a swastika sign can carry. I have been educated about the persecution of many people under that sign, but I never stopped to realize that for many people the swastika still held a lot of power and emotion. It had never had a direct effect on my life, and I'm ashamed to say that I was too ignorant to realize it could affect others in such strong ways.

After experiencing the outcries of many individuals and the community as a whole, I have come to realize the harsh consequences of my action. I have brought to life very hateful and terrifying images that many had believed were in the past. I can only say that (I) in no way, shape, or form believe in anything that the swastika symbolizes. I did something very stupid and childish, and although I did not mean to, I have rekindled the fears of many.

I know the words here cannot fix the damage I have done, but I do hope that you all will hear my apology and see my remorse.

Sincerely,

Paul Wysocki.