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Swastikas drawn on three Mokena road signs
mokenamessenger.com the Mokena Messenger | February 14, 2019 | 9
Megan Schuller, Assistant Editor
Mokena police are seeking information
regarding the recent defacement
of three road signs.
Swastikas reportedly were drawn
on a one-way sign at Midland Avenue
and Carpenter Street as well
as two speed limit signs, one at Division
Street, between 1st and 2nd
streets, and one at Midland and 1st
Street, between 1:30-3 p.m. on Feb.
3, according to police. The signs are
less than half a mile apart from each
other.
Mokena Police Department Chief
Steven Vaccaro is asking residents
who witnessed the graffiti occurring or
who have footage from their home security
systems to contact the Mokena
Police Department.
Vaccaro stated that there are currently
no suspects in the investigation
and there is no confirmed relationship
with the October 2017
incident in which multiple traffic
signs and one private business in
Mokena were tagged with swastikas.
In that instance, the vandalism
was discovered by Mokena Police
around 6 a.m. Oct. 22.
“Right now it seems like nothing
or nobody was being specifically targeted,”
Vaccaro said. “We haven’t
made a connection to a specific person
or location.”
Vaccaro said that the vandalism
is currently being treated
as a criminal defacement case
Three swastikas, like this one spray painted in October 2017, were reported in Mokena on Feb. 3. 22nd Century Media file photo
holocaust
From Page 3
“I never got to say goodbye
to my parents. I wish I
knew more about all they
did to save our lives. I am
12 years old and I walk out
of the house with a resistance
helper and I never
look back. Now I wish I had
turned around and waved
goodbye. But maybe that
would’ve been dangerous. I
often think of my parents. I
have outlived them by many
years. I wonder why. Is it
proper to wish my parents
‘rest in peace?’ I hope so.
I love them more than they
ever knew. I still do.” — Joseph
“Joop” Koek
After Steve’s presentation,
the cast of “The Diary
of Anne Frank” had time to
reflect on the connection between
the words written so
long ago in a hidden diary
and the words spoken aloud
on that day in Mokena, both
of which were brought back
from the dead.
“It was very touching because
I’m playing somebody
who was taken away during
the Holocaust, it seems more
real to know about someone
who actually had this happen
to them,” said 12-yearold
Maggie Gleason, who
will play Anne Frank in
“The Diary of Anne Frank.”
“And [Joseph Koek] actually
could have been captured
at any moment and
sent to any of the concentration
camps, and who knows
what would’ve happened to
him. So, it was very real and
it was very sad, too.”
Gleason said that she
has been learning about the
Holocaust since the fourth
grade, but her teachers had
not gone as in-depth as
Steve’s presentation to bring
that part of history to life.
So, can something like
this happen again?
“History repeats itself, so
definitely yes; from what
I’ve been taught, yes,” said
Mokena resident Alicia Cuccia,
who plays Mrs. Van
Daan. “Hopefully not, but it
could.”
Joseph recognized the potential
for history to repeat
until other evidence is brought
forward.
Village Administrator John D. Tomasoski
said that after the “criminal
acts of vandalism” occurred the Village
immediately removed the vandalized
signs.
“The Village condemns such
hate crimes and will prosecute, as
allowed by law, those individuals
responsible for the crime,” Tomasoski
said.
itself, too, which is why he
ended his speech this way:
“What the story of the
Holocaust teaches us is
there are people who hate
other people so much that
they will kill them only because
they believe different
things or look different.
My story tells us that there
are also people who will
do anything to save others,
including risking their own
lives. My wish is that you
will grow up and belong to
the second group.”
Enrollment
open for
Citizen’s
Police 2019
Staff Report
Ever wonder what goes
on behind the scenes at police
calls and traffic stops?
Would you like to know
how your local police agencies
operate?
For twelve consecutive
Thursday evenings beginning
March 7, the Citizen’s
Police Academy, an informational
program open to
the general public, will be
in session. The Academy
was designed to inform
citizens of the community
how the police and criminal
justice systems work, and
will be presented in a manner
enjoyable for all who
attend.
Applicants must be at
least 18 years of age and
pass a background check.
Highlights of the program
include information on traffic
stops, the criminal justice
system and crime scene
processing. A K-9 demonstration,
a tour of the coroner’s
office and a jail tour
are also included.
Classes are scheduled
to take place at the Will
County Sheriff’s facility,
16911 W. Laraway Road
in Joliet, from 7-9:30 p.m.
Space is limited. Simply
fill out an application form
and return it to the Mokena
Police Department. The application
can be found by
visiting mokena.org/files/
documents/CitizensPol
iceAcademyApplication
news59641315012419
101355AMa.pdf.
Admission to the Citizen’s
Police Academy is
free.