Black Teen Marked "KKK" At Deaf School

Seven Students - Six White, One Black - Also Drew Swastikas On Classmate, Police Say

(AP)  A group of students at a Washington high school for the deaf scrawled "KKK" and swastikas on a black student's body with a marker while holding him against his will, police said Wednesday.

District of Columbia police are investigating the Saturday night attack as a possible hate crime, Chief Cathy Lanier said. The incident began in the dorms of the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, on the campus of Gallaudet University.

Seven students - six white and one black - took part in holding the black student, Lanier said.

University officials would not say whether they had been disciplined, but in a campuswide e-mail Wednesday, Katherine Jankowski, dean of the center that includes the high school, said the seven were sent home.

The school discussed the incident at an assembly Monday and has worked with students on issues of diversity and race, said Stephen Weiner, provost of Gallaudet.

"We do not tolerate any kind of action, any kind of behavior of this type," Weiner said.

Lanier said the attack began when two groups of students, one white, one black, were "horsing around" in the dorms. The groups eventually separated, but the seven students took the black student and held him for about an hour.

The student who was held contacted Gallaudet authorities, who called police early Sunday. He is at home with his family, the provost said.

No charges have been filed, but police said they have identified all seven students involved; they range in age from 15 to 19. "We take it very seriously," Lanier said.

Gallaudet, the nation's only liberal arts university for deaf students, was founded in 1864 by an act of Congress. The university had about 1,800 students last year.

About 170 students attend the Model Secondary School, with roughly 100 living in dorms on campus, Weiner said.

It is part of Gallaudet's Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, which also includes an elementary school. The center works on developing courses and teaching methods for deaf and hard of hearing students.

[southrngrrl]

Where was the dorm staff during all of this? Shouldn''t they have noticed boys running around playing this game? Isn''t it their job to supervise and keep order in the dorms?

These 7 boys weren''t the only ones playing this game. There were at least 2 groups, naming themselves Nazis and Black KKK, not just the 7 students referenced on the news. Why aren''t the rest of the participants in the game being investigated or disciplined? After all, they were also a part of this incident.

[southrngrrl]

Also Hwy71So,

Have you not followed up on this story at all? It might interest you to know that the police spokeswoman, upon further investigation, gave the following statement:
"My understanding is the two groups engaged in friendly horseplay," she said, but as the horseplay continued, the two groups began "to get angry with each other."
The groups had named themselves "Nazi" and "Black KKK."

So my question to you is this:
Why in the world, if these children are so educated in American History, would the black students name themselves the Black KKK?

[southrngrrl]

In response to the following comment made by Hwy71So:
"KKK and swastikas is definitely racist symbols. I''''m fairly sure they knew this.Anyone that''''s studied any kind of American history knows this."

I have firsthand experience with deaf kids, they struggle with basic math and reading skills, I seriously doubt they''ve "studied any kind of American history" to the degree that most kids do.

Most deaf children only comprehend language on a junior high school level. They probably wouldn''t be able to understand this blog if they tried to read it. Most of them don''t even write in full sentences.

Unless you have experience with deaf people, you shouldn''t be commenting on what you''re "sure" that they know. Maybe you should educate yourself as to how the way deaf people read and understand things.

[slim1h2o]

Heard on the news that, this was a little "war games" that went overboard, so the kidnapping thing was a pretend "captive". Any body play war games, when you were a kid?

And maybe, the 3 K''s was a three strikes, your out kind of thing? After all, the K, is whats used to signify strikes in a baseball game.

[simplulo]

So if the bullies had written non-racist language on him, would that have been any better?

On the one hand, we should show zero tolerance to violence, and the bullies must be punished. On the other we should realized that males of that age group are naturally more violent, and we should not exaggerate the event''s importance. It is not a news story.

[keithle1]

Would the black kid who was part of the seven students be charged with a "hate crime"?

Never fear. The Two Reverends (Jesse & Sharpton) are on their way. Here comes The Righteous Indignation Express!

[tbweb]

Why is this nonsense news? The more publicity this nonsense gets, the more nuts will do it to get attention. Iraq buying 100 Million Dollars worth of weapons from China is News! Where is that story?

[xzavierbrown]

kids these days are too stupid and influnced by a very reckless and liberalized entertainment media. gratitiously use words and acts that they have zero concept...facism..nazism..swastikas..etc..etc..

it is time to hold kids accountable..these kids needs to be punished SEVERLY..

and for al sharpton..this is not a free pass to spread your own version of racial bullsh*t

[hwy71so]

KKK and swastikas is definitely racist symbols. I''m fairly sure they knew this.

Anyone that''s studied any kind of American history knows this.

Of course, it is not as bad as the beating the kid got in Louisiana either. Doesn''t compare. Emotionally, though, it was probably MORE significant. Now, that poor kid is going to have the impression that most all white people are bigots to some degree.

Hopefully, the kids will be dealt with appropriately. Not over punished, but definitely made to understand we can''t tolerate this type of thing.

[ynotjill]

oops not the same thing i meant to say what they did was worse!!!!!!!!!!

[ynotjill]

Y a hate crime and y not charge the jena boys as an adult they did teh same thingg

[ynotjill]

I assume they''d have to be tied up so they would''t get away. How else would they be held against their wlill

[bigsk8fan]

I also said that racism will be a problem unless we finally realize that we are all to blame. We all have to be willing to accept each other regardless of our ethnicity, gender, political views, or religion. So, what is your solution? Posted by SouthrnGrrl

my solution is to treat this as a hate crime and prosecute it to the fullest extent provided by law. Some of the kids at 15 and 16 may be treated as minors. the 17, 18, and 19 year olds are more likely to be treated as adults with harsher consequences.

[southrngrrl]

rationalL7,

That''s exactly what I was saying to someone earlier. Maybe they should have put stickers on each other and swapped their "prisoners" after lunch. The way I understand it is that once you''re "captured" you can try to escape, which is why they bind you. The problem allegedly began when they forgot about the boy who was bound and went to lunch.

Let''s face it, teenagers don''t always make the best decisions. Most boy''s brains are still growing until they are in their early 20''s.

My intent was not to argue with anyone. I''m an opinionated person just like everyone else who blogs, which is why we''re all posting on this site.

Anyway, although we may disagree, I truly do wish you all well. Have a good night.

[rationall7]

SouthnGrrl
I apolgize as I suggested before education videos.

The floor wars should be supervized and played like flag football or something along those guide lines with rules.

[southrngrrl]

rationalL7,

Did you not read my other posts? I said the boys should be educated about the hurtful nature of these symbols.

I also said that racism will be a problem unless we finally realize that we are all to blame. We all have to be willing to accept each other regardless of our ethnicity, gender, political views, or religion. So, what is your solution? How do you plan to fix things?

I don''t claim to have all the answers. But, I don''t think that we need to crucify these boys for a dorm prank.

[rationall7]

The rupblicans have exploited black (salvery) the white senior citizens (higher pharmacial costs) the white construction worker (suspending the Davis-Bacon Act to allow Maxican labor do federal funded jobs after Kitrina) and now deaf kids (to spread facism) how much lower can you go.

[fascistusa]

OUR NEWS LIES.

THIS STORY IS FAKE. THE GOVERNMENT/CORPORATE MASS MEDIA IS TRYING TO START WHITE/BLACK RACE RIOTS.

OUR MEDIA LIES. THERE ARE VERY FEW WHITE RACISTS OUT THERE. DO YOU REALLY THINK HANDICAPPED KIDS CARE ABOUT RACE DIFFERENCES??? LIKE THERE''''S AN EPIDEMIC OF RACIST HANDICAPPENED KIDS.

IT''''S A LIE LIKE 9/11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rationall7]

SouthrnGrrl
You want to debate and you don''t have any solutions.

[southrngrrl]

The news coverage, facts6, is in the same place with coverage of issues such as the brutalization of entire populations in Africa, and all of the missing children in the United States, NOWHERE!