*The white students from Michigan’s Grosse Pointe South High School who posted a video on Facebook in which they fantasize about what they’d do to black people as President of the United States in 2040 have received either suspensions or “separations,” the school announced.
Their video, which quickly went viral after its posting over the Memorial Day weekend, showed the students laughing about how they’d treat African Americans as president, beginning with the reinstitution of slavery and segregation.
“Stupid, worthless, need to leave our country, send ’em back to Africa,” one student says. He goes on to suggest the segregation of black people in Maine, North/South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and New Mexico …but not Idaho, because he likes potatoes.
“White people are gonna be the dominants of the country,” he continues. “We’re not gonna put ’em in coffins. We’re gonna put ’em in the river and let them swim to the Atlantic Ocean.”
Watch below:
Once the video went viral, Gross Pointe officials told WXYZ Thursday that three students involved with the video had received suspension or separations, with one student reportedly claiming to be “under the influence of alcohol” at the time the footage was captured.
In a letter sent to parents (and obtained by WXYZ), Grosse Pointe Principal Moussa Hamka said she and her staff were taking the video very seriously:
Dear South Community,
Over the weekend a handful of Grosse Pointe teens, including three South students, chose to record a video that included offensive, racist statements regarding African Americans. While no specific students or members of our community were mentioned in the video, the comments made are deplorable.
Immediately after being made aware of the situation, South administration began contacting students and families. Consistent with the Student Code of Conduct, we are making appropriate decisions regarding consequences for those involved, including student separations from school. We have assured our students that South is built on a foundation that values the contributions of all.
During the past 24 hours, several of our students have approached staff members and administrators indicating that this video, which has been circulated via social media, offended them and made them question the values we hold dear at South.
During my nearly two years here at South, I have been consistently impressed with the depth of compassion and kindness exhibited by our students. I am confident that this incident will provide South the opportunity to stand with a united voice of love and acceptance for all. We will continue to demonstrate that the majority of our students and community members do not accept and will not tolerate such bigotry.
This incident further affirms the need for our continued discourse around diversity, inclusion and race relations. With these topics in mind, we have had sustained dialogue that began in March and will continue well into the future. Weekly meetings and planning sessions have taken place with students from our Black Awareness Society for Education (B.A.S.E.) club. Additionally, we hosted a forum yesterday on these very topics moderated by Dr. Jay Marks from Oakland Schools. Nearly fifty students engaged in meaningful dialogue and strategic planning. In recognition of our student voices, we will be expanding opportunities that facilitate a comprehensive approach to celebrating the diversity of our student body.
Thank you for your continued support of our students, staff, and community.
Sincerely,
Moussa Hamka
Principal
This isn’t the first time a racist incident has happened at Grose Pointe South. In March, four white students were suspended for writing racial slurs on their bodies and posting pictures of it on Instagram. Two additional white students were then suspended for threatening people who reported it.
Erika Erickson, a reporter for Fox2 in Detroit, noted that this latest incident is the fourth at Grosse Point South while tweeting a response from their school superintendent. See below:
Grosse Pointe Schools Superintendent addresses racist video made by students. This is 4th incident now. @Fox2News pic.twitter.com/nk5NLynciw
— Erika Erickson (@FOX2Erika) June 2, 2016
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