NAACP or the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Mississippi is now calling for a federal probe involving four white teens and a black students. According to reports, the white kid placed a noose on the neck of a black child then yanked it.
CBS News reported that the black child involved is the son of Hollis and Stacey Payton. Mississippi NAACP President Derick Johnson said on Monday during a press conference that a federal hate crime investigation should be launched over the incident. Around four white students reportedly placed the noose around the victim.
Johnson said in a statement that no child should be walking down the hall or in a locker room and be accosted with a noose around their neck. He noted that it is now 2016 and not 1916, adding that America should be a place where children go to school and feel safe in their environment. The incident reportedly took place on Oct. 13 near a locker room at Stone High School located in Wiggins.
ABC News also detailed that after the four white kids placed the noose on the black student, who is a sophomore football player, the noose was yanked backward. The incident took place during a break in football practice. It was not clear whether the yanking left marks on the black student but he returned to football practice despite the humiliation.
Stone High School reportedly has around 800 students and a quarter is made up of black students. The names and the ages of the victim and the suspects have not been released yet. NAACP said that no one has been charged with the crime.
The NAACP added that the school officials failed to protect the student during the ordeal and allowed the white students to commit blatant hate crimes without sever consequences. As per the Stone High School Student Handbook, the superintendent could expel students who commit acts of violence on campus.
Mississippi has been struggling with racial division. In 2014, two out-of-state students at the University of Mississippi placed a noose on the campus' statue of James Meredith, who was the black student who integrated Ole Miss in 1962. They also intimidated African-American students and employees.
Meanwhile, it remains unclear if the white students will be punished or charged. Do you think school officials mishandled the situation?
