WCJB-TV reports that two minors from Gainesville High School in Florida who posted a horribly racist video on YouTube are “no longer students at the school,”.
The school had to bring in 8 police officers to protect the girls after their YouTube video went viral.
Some of the comments on the video include them saying,
“You can understand what we are saying, our accents, we use actual words. Black people do not.”
Gainesville High School principal David Shelnutt refused to say what the punishment was for the girls but stated clearly,
“There’s no place for comments like that, that video here at GHS. There’s no place for that in the Alachua County Public School System, and my opinion, no place for that in society in general.”
Since the video went viral the girls are hiding out for fear of their safety. One of the girls has to hide at a relative’s house while her mother goes to work.
“Our lives have changed totally, 180 degrees. This has made her an adult really quick.”
The girls and one of their parents issued a formal apology in the paper Monday:
“I am one of the girls who were in the racist video that got posted. I’m writing this so that I can tell people how truly sorry I am. I could never, in a million years, have pictured this happening with me involved. I wasn’t raised to hate people for their race, and I still don’t. I made a horrible decision in being a part of this video… “
The second girl’s mother issued an apology for her daughter in the paper. T he second girl’s mother says her daughter is depressed as a result of the video and she hopes eventually the community will forgive her.
The mother said,
“While we can never take back the words and actions that these two children have said, we have to start to heal and forgive IMMEDIATELY. Stop the violent threats to our homes and our children, stop the anger, because this will solve absolutely nothing, and most importantly, look at yourself for change and love.”
The school is banding together in light of this incident and the school is encouraging everyone to wear orange this week. Orange is the color for racial solidarity.
What would you do if it was your daughter who made this video?
Watch the video here (WARNING very graphic and racist language, NSFW)
