Beverly Hills High School is facing backlash after Black students and teacher Bella Ivory reported harassment and intimidation during a campus demonstration on Election Day. A video obtained by Fox 11 depicts a group of white students gathered outside Ivory’s classroom waving a Trump flag, wearing MAGA hats, and sporting pro-Trump apparel. Ivory recounted the event, stating, “There were just so many kids outside my door. One of them had a Trump flag on a pole… some of them had on MAGA hats, some just had on Trump fan apparel.” Inside the classroom, terrified students sought refuge while Ivory assured them she would not compromise their safety. She added, “Students said they looked like the KKK.”
The Beverly Hills Courier reported a school security guard also displaying a Trump flag during the lunchtime protest. Days later, Principal Drew Stewart acknowledged the disruption, explaining, “While student political expression is an important tenet, it does have limits.
Unfortunately, over the past two days there have been multiple instances of students assembling in a manner that has created a material disruption to the operation of our school, as well as the education of our students.” New policies were enacted to prevent mob-like assemblies and ensure student safety.
During a Nov. 12 school board meeting, Ivory and affected students shared their experiences. One student remarked, “Although I was aware of the pure hatred and racism in my time being here, it was never expressed in the way that it was last week.” Another described enduring racial slurs, being “stormed” and called the N-word. A male student added, “Racial slurs scrawled across the walls of our bathrooms, hateful rhetoric… and violent behavior towards Ms. Bella and our club [the Black Student Union]” had become commonplace.
Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy addressed the concerns, emphasizing, “We sincerely appreciate all of the speakers who contributed this evening… I take all concerns regarding hate speech and safety extremely seriously.” The incident coincides with FBI investigations into racist threats targeting Black, Latino, and LGBTQ+ communities, highlighting the broader national climate of division.
Link: Yahoo
コメント