Privledged white kids target black kid w/ cotton balls

[heyjude]

And they seem to be getting the book thrown at them! As they should!

Roseville students suspected of racial hate crime using cotton balls
BY RICHARD CHANG AND LORETTA [e-mail]
12/19/2014 10:20 PM 12/19/2014 10:20 PM
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Roseville police have referred 13 teenagers, at least some of them honors students at Oakmont High School, to the juvenile justice system for a suspected hate crime after they allegedly spread cotton balls across the front lawn of an African American classmate, authorities said Friday.

Oakmont students quickly spread word of the Nov. 23 incident via text messages, leading investigators to the suspected perpetrators, police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther said. The cotton balls were “sprinkled throughout the yard” of an African American classmate at Oakmont during Thanksgiving break, she said.

“The family was upset and thought it was racially motivated,” Gunther said.

Brad Basham, spokesman for the Roseville Joint Union High School District, said the district has been investigating and is planning spring meetings for parents and the community on the general issue of racism.


“What happened to this family is disgusting,” Basham said. “Certainly we should know better.”

The family declined to be interviewed. The Bee is not naming the family to protect their children’s privacy.

The district is unable to impose disciplinary sanctions on the students involved because the event occurred off-campus and outside of school activities, Basham said. But he added that some of the suspects received suspensions of up to six weeks from athletic participation because a district investigation found they had used drugs or alcohol before allegedly spreading cotton balls on the lawn. Student athletes agree not to use illegal substances as a condition of sports participation.

“We’ve made it clear what the consequences are if this behavior were to continue,” Basham said.

Cotton balls left on doorsteps of African American residents or organizations in other cities have been viewed as racially tinged and considered hate crimes because they invoke images of slavery.


The family contacted police shortly before 11 p.m. on Nov. 24. The investigation was handled by the Oakmont High School resource officer, Courtney Sens, a member of the Roseville Police Department.

Roseville police referred the 13 teenagers to the Placer County juvenile system on suspicion of committing a misdemeanor by “terrorizing with hate symbols.” The charge is tied to a California Penal Code section that outlaws using a symbol “for the purpose of terrorizing the owner or occupant” of private property or in “reckless disregard of the risk of terrorizing” a property’s occupant.

Roseville police did not release the names of the suspects because they are juveniles. A copy of the referral also was provided to the Placer County District Attorney’s Office, Gunther said.

Students at the Oakmont campus said Friday that many of the teenage suspects are enrolled in the school’s prestigious International Baccalaureate program, as is the student whose home was targeted.

Nicole Herrera, 16, who was not involved in the incident, said that her IB classmates apparently had wanted to TP his home as a prank but decided that toilet paper was too expensive. They settled on cotton balls instead, she said, based on conversations with classmates.


She said several IB students were pulled out of class earlier this month and questioned by authorities.

“It wasn’t meant to be racist,” Herrera said. “It was a joke.”

But Gunther discounted the possibility of a prank. The investigating officer did a “thorough investigation, talked to the large number of people who were involved to determine the motivation behind it. … (The officer) felt there was probable cause that it was directed at the student because of his race,” Gunther said.

Gunther added that classmates had, in the past, used the N-word against the victim online and in person. “It was part of determining whether this was racially motivated,” she said.

In October, the targeted student suggested on Twitter to a white classmate that he not use the word, which sparked a back-and-forth discussion about whether doing so was racist. Another black Oakmont student said this month on Twitter that classmates had used the word when referring to African American students in the past.

According to state data, 3.7 percent of Oakmont students were African American in 2013-14. White students comprised 60 percent, Latinos were 18 percent and Asian Americans 7 percent.

On Friday, some students at Oakmont High School said they knew about the Thanksgiving week incident, although they said school officials have not talked about the case publicly to students.

“The school was all hush-hush,” said junior Yvonne Burton, 16.

Eventually, as the police investigation continued, the principal convened a 20-minute lunch meeting for the IB students to discuss race relations generally, according to Herrera.

Basham said the incident was a wake-up call for the district.

“This incident validates our need to continue to work with our students,” he said. “This is an International Baccalaureate program. They are learning about other cultures. We’re trying to prepare them to work in a global society.”

Basham noted that the school needs to have a deeper conversation on race, including what terms are not appropriate to use.

“For a variety of reasons, some kids think it’s OK to use the N-word. Just because you see it in a song or blog, doesn’t mean it’s OK,” he said.

He added, “It’s not OK for kids of any color to be using that term, because it’s hateful.”

Herrera and her friends Anthony Burman, 17, and Ryan Collins, 16, said they think times have changed and terms once used as epithets aren’t always viewed as racist.

The three students, all juniors, characterized the response from authorities as excessive.

“We have a very integrated school,” said Burman, who is Mexican American. “There are students of all different colors here. So when something happens that is even remotely racist, people freak out.”

Not everyone agrees. Oakmont students since the start of this school year have turned to social media to debate in frank and sometimes profane terms about racial matters.

One Oakmont black student tweeted this month that racism had occurred for too long. He also suggested that black students unite and form an African American club on campus.

The Roseville incident and its aftermath have coincided with inflamed racial tensions around the country after a grand jury decided not to indict a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo., who fatally shot unarmed black teenager Michael Brown.

The cotton-ball incident occurred one night before the Missouri grand jury decision. Police and school officials say they know of no connection between student tensions in Roseville and those related to Ferguson.

[NewOrleans]

Dec 20, 2014 1:45:16 GMT -5 heyjude said:

“It wasn’t meant to be racist,” Herrera said. “It was a joke.”

Of course not. It was meant to showcase the purity, wholesomeness, and decorative properties of cotton.

[secretlyevil]

What little assholes. Glad this is being treated as it should... Settled on cotton balls because it was too expensive? What bullshit.

[lissaholly]

Dec 20, 2014 6:29:43 GMT -5 secretlyevil said:

What little assholes. Glad this is being treated as it should... Settled on cotton balls because to was too expensive? What bullshit.

Right? I am sure most households keep that shit locked up, because of the expense, of course.

[erbear]

Dec 20, 2014 3:20:22 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

Dec 20, 2014 1:45:16 GMT -5 heyjude said:

“It wasn’t meant to be racist,” Herrera said. “It was a joke.”

Of course not. It was meant to showcase the purity, wholesomeness, and decorative properties of cotton.

The sad thing is that they probably DID mean it as a joke, not getting that their "joke" is hateful and disgusting. I'm sure they thought it was hilarious. 

Im glad lad the school system is responding strongly. 

[heyjude]

This is actually a very very white area and very well to do. It's also incrediably conservative for California. And this is a very good school. I'm very surprised how hard they are coming down on these kids. But wow. I'm so glad they are.

The girl who talked, for not being involved, sure knew so very much. Why they did it. Their motivation. "It wasn't racism, it was a joke" (hahahahahahaha!)

And she's on record as saying the N word doesn't mean as much today. Good luck with that come college application and future employment time....

So much parent fail all over the place here.

If I was a black family in Roseville I would be very scared to wake up to cotton balls in my yard. Good for them for going to the police and good for law enforcement and the school for taking this seriously.

[sparrowsong]

Decided toilet paper was too expensive is the most bullshit excuse I've ever heard.

Horrible. I don't have anything else.

[heyjude]

Dec 20, 2014 10:27:46 GMT -5 @soudesafinado said:

If they had done this to several students -- white and black -- I might think it was a miguided joke. But the fact that it only happened to the black student makes it hardddd for me to believe it was just a joke.

It sounds like they did a very thorough investigation:

"But Gunther discounted the possibility of a prank. The investigating officer did a “thorough investigation, talked to the large number of people who were involved to determine the motivation behind it. … (The officer) felt there was probable cause that it was directed at the student because of his race,” Gunther said.

Gunther added that classmates had, in the past, used the N-word against the victim online and in person. “It was part of determining whether this was racially motivated,” she said.

In October, the targeted student suggested on Twitter to a white classmate that he not use the word, which sparked a back-and-forth discussion about whether doing so was racist. Another black Oakmont student said this month on Twitter that classmates had used the word when referring to African American students in the past."

[NewOrleans]

Dec 20, 2014 10:33:32 GMT -5 @soudesafinado said:

I'm guessing even with being punished these kids won't get it.

Yes, they will just feel like it is the black kid's fault they got in trouble and resent him (or other black students) for it.

[sandsonik]

Glad the school and the police acted.

[blink]

I'm glad these kids are being punished. But I agree that they are going to blame the poor kid they targeted.

[rugbywife]

I love it when students tell me that something they did was meant as a joke and I am like "well yeah, duh, a RACIST (or in other cases, sexist/homophobic/etc) joke. It makes me laugh because it's like you <----------------> point. There is NO joke in throwing cotton balls at a black person. There is no reason to do it without the racist subtext. Sigh.

Edit: I reread the article aloud to DH and realized that they weren't throwing them AT the person but putting them on the lawn. Same difference as far as I am concerned.

[redwino]

These kids are horrible and they definitely meant it to be racist. I would put money on they're influenced by their parents and community. Their parents are probably yelling it was just a joke too.

[secretlyevil]

Dec 20, 2014 10:33:32 GMT -5 @soudesafinado said:

I'm guessing even with being punished these kids won't get it.

unfortunately you're probably correct.

[starlily]

Dec 20, 2014 10:05:28 GMT -5 heyjude said:

This is actually a very very white area and very well to do. It's also incrediably conservative for California. And this is a very good school. I'm very surprised how hard they are coming down on these kids. But wow. I'm so glad they are.

The girl who talked, for not being involved, sure knew so very much. Why they did it. Their motivation. "It wasn't racism, it was a joke" (hahahahahahaha!)

And she's on record as saying the N word doesn't mean as much today. Good luck with that come college application and future employment time....

So much parent fail all over the place here.

If I was a black family in Roseville I would be very scared to wake up to cotton balls in my yard. Good for them for going to the police and good for law enforcement and the school for taking this seriously.

We had family friends move not too far from Roseville, to Elk Grove, in the 80s. Being brown, they weren't really welcomed into the neighborhood. Seems like things haven't changed all that much in 30 years.

[starlily]

Having worked extensively in the juvenile division, I can practically guarantee you that these rotten kids' parents will be screaming for nothing short of a dismissal and a public apology for their preshuses. I just feel it in my bones.

[cookiemdough]

I need to know how the cotton was removed.

[aussiecrush]

This is local to me, based on what I'm seeing on fb I'm acquainted with parents of some of these kids. The denial is so thick. My heart hurts for the family they targeted. Clearly a middle school boy killing himself because of bullying isn't enough to wake this community up.

[heyjude]

Dec 20, 2014 18:05:12 GMT -5 aussiecrush said:

This is local to me, based on what I'm seeing on fb I'm acquainted with parents of some of these kids. The denial is so thick. My heart hurts for the family they targeted. Clearly a middle school boy killing himself because of bullying isn't enough to wake this community up.

I thought that was Folsom? That's another awful story.

[heyjude]

Dec 20, 2014 16:49:19 GMT -5 starlily said:

Dec 20, 2014 10:05:28 GMT -5 heyjude said:

This is actually a very very white area and very well to do. It's also incrediably conservative for California. And this is a very good school. I'm very surprised how hard they are coming down on these kids. But wow. I'm so glad they are.

The girl who talked, for not being involved, sure knew so very much. Why they did it. Their motivation. "It wasn't racism, it was a joke" (hahahahahahaha!)

And she's on record as saying the N word doesn't mean as much today. Good luck with that come college application and future employment time....

So much parent fail all over the place here.

If I was a black family in Roseville I would be very scared to wake up to cotton balls in my yard. Good for them for going to the police and good for law enforcement and the school for taking this seriously.

We had family friends move not too far from Roseville, to Elk Grove, in the 80s. Being brown, they weren't really welcomed into the neighborhood. Seems like things haven't changed all that much in 30 years.

Elk Grove is actually diverse and fine. At least now. It's east of Sac where things start to get weird. It's literally "white flight" over there.

[aussiecrush]

Dec 20, 2014 22:15:07 GMT -5 heyjude said:

Dec 20, 2014 18:05:12 GMT -5 aussiecrush said:

This is local to me, based on what I'm seeing on fb I'm acquainted with parents of some of these kids. The denial is so thick. My heart hurts for the family they targeted. Clearly a middle school boy killing himself because of bullying isn't enough to wake this community up.

I thought that was Folsom? That's another awful story.

It is, but the two are pretty damn close to each other. It's just heartbreaking. There's such a small town feeling that you'd think these things couldn't happen here. I didn't realize I was still so naive.