A disturbing video is making the rounds on the internet. In it, a group of teens pretends to “lynch” a black student in a bathroom on campus. The incident of the student being “lynched” took place at the Christo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School in Atlanta, Georgia.
The video shows several male students with their heads covered in white tissue, cut with eye holes. A black student is also seen, tissue wrapped around his neck and tied to a bathroom stall, acting as a rope. The students in question are now on “indefinite suspension,” according to Cristo Rey’s President Bill Garrett.
A concerned mother reported the incident to local station CBS46. According to her, the video was taken by a student who walked in on the incident and shared the recording with his parents. Parents of Cristo Rey students began to share the video among themselves and around social media.
CBS46 reports the school is 46% Latino, 40% African American, 2% Asian and 2% Caucasian.
“Very shocking and disheartening to know that somebody I sit next to in class, somebody I present my project to, who I talk to on a daily basis at lunch could you feel this way towards me,” student Kenidee Barkley told CBS46. Another student expressed similar concerns, saying discrimination is present at Cristo Rey.
The school held an assembly Thursday for students and another one for parents. Garrett also sent CBS46 a written statement: “We are working closely with the National Center for Civil and Human Rights (NCCHR) to develop a program appropriate for our community. In addition, Andrew Young will be speaking soon to our community.”
Young is a politician and activist, who first became known as an early leader in the civil rights movement and close confidant to Martin Luther King, Jr.
Garrett wrote, One of our students perhaps said it best: “This is the biggest opportunity to capitalize on restructuring the school community. Never before has the entire student body been so passionate and united on an issue. It would be a waste to not use this to bring us together. Rather than talk about how we’re divided, I want to do something about it.”
Student Lynched in Atlanta — Sources
CBS46: WATCH: Atlanta-area private school students pretend to lynch black student