I have never sprayed paint at anything but a craft project or aimed a baseball bat at anything but a ball, so the recent incident at Faith Christian School has highlighted the fact that I have never nor will I ever understand the point of deliberately causing damage to someone else's property.

Rocky Mount police arrested four Nash Central High students Monday for causing nearly $10,000 in damage to the private school's athletic facilities. No cause for the damage or how they were caught was released.

Thankfully the community rallied around Faith Christian School as they worked to repair the damage, but I still am left with the question of "why." I mean, I can rationalize (*not justify*) stealing baby formula if you can't afford it, but what is the point of wreaking havoc just for laughs?

Other cities I have lived in have taken a stand against graffiti by starting community efforts to paint over the damage caused by these vandals, and it seems like a similar program might be good for Rocky Mount. I mean, I know several places around town that have had words and symbols painted on Dumpsters and buildings for months now. Technically it is up to the property owner to paint over the damage, but that is not always a feasible option depending on what the property is and how large the damage is.

I think it would behoof us as a community to come together and stand up against people who do this type of behavior whether it is for kicks — like it seems the Faith Christian incident was for — or for gangs who do it to declare territory. If we remove the graffiti as quick than vandals can do it, they will learn that the behavior is not acceptable and move elsewhere.

What else do you think could be done to discourage this type of behavior? What do you think should be done to the teens who damaged Faith Christian?