OAKLAND — Racist photos depicting a re-enactment of the homicide of George Floyd on the campus of an East Oakland non-public Catholic college have been circulated broadly by college students in latest weeks, prompting officers to research.
The images, taken not less than a month in the past, depict a Bishop O’Dowd Excessive College sophomore kneeling on the neck of a classmate in the identical method that Floyd was killed by police in 2020, resulting in the most important civil-rights protests in U.S. historical past.
A separate selfie photograph, the place the identical scholar flashes a thumbs-up on the digicam, is captioned with emojis of a monkey, orangutan and gorilla — imagery related to racism towards Black individuals.
Screenshots of the pictures have been shared with this information group by college students of Bishop O’Dowd, a prep college nestled in deep East Oakland that prices about $24,000 in yearly tuition and is thought for its athletics.
In a memo despatched Wednesday to the campus neighborhood, college officers mentioned the incident occurred on the campus quad, and that the scholar whose neck is knelt upon within the pictures was asleep on the time.
The college promised a swift investigation to “make sure that the accountable college students are appropriately disciplined based on our handbook.”
On Friday, the workplace of faculty Principal Doug Evans didn't present the enrollment standing of the kneeling scholar or verify whether or not he had confronted self-discipline.
Along with addressing tenth graders at a faculty mass, Bishop O’Dowd leaders additionally held a lunchtime meeting on Thursday inviting college students to “share the hurt they've skilled, the affect on our neighborhood, and to seek out methods to start therapeutic and transfer ahead collectively.”
Nonetheless, college students who wished to stay nameless mentioned in interviews they have been pissed off with the varsity’s messaging. Whereas the official campus publication described the fabric as an “egregious racial offense,” it additionally spent a part of its preliminary paragraphs reprimanding those that shared the pictures on-line.
“Yesterday, a scholar selected to publish the photograph on social media, reasonably than bringing the problem to any directors or trusted adults, inflicting main hurt in our neighborhood and deeply hurting a lot of our college students,” the publication states.
“Past the racial offense, this incident brings to the forefront many nuanced and necessary points: social media use, appropriately reporting incidents, and respect between college students,” it continues.
The scholars, in interviews, mentioned Bishop O’Dowd’s leaders appeared extra involved concerning the photos getting out to the general public and tainting the varsity’s status amongst its tuition-paying households than it did concerning the incident itself.
The principal’s workplace didn't reply to questions concerning the college students’ frustrations, saying the Wednesday memo could be the “extent of the general public info launched on the matter.”
Snapchat and Instagram posts re-sharing the kneeling photograph expressed alarm and outrage about its depiction of the violence that three years in the past sparked a nationwide reckoning over how Black individuals within the U.S. are handled.
“i need everybody to know the way disgusting and horrible this photograph is, and that somebody thinks it’s humorous to do on our personal campus,” reads one caption.
“O’Dowd college students don't tolerate this blatant and disgusting act of disrespect!!” declares one other. “George Floyd’s loss of life just isn't made to be a mockery.”
About 49% of the varsity’s roughly 1,200 college students are white, 21% are Black, 14% are Asian and 12% are Hispanic or Latino, based on U.S. Information and World Report.
One other picture shared by the scholars seems to comprise an apology from the scholar to “the individuals I've offended with the photograph I participated in.”
“I used to be pressured into taking the photograph and I take full duty,” reads the assertion. “And I ought to’ve recognized higher. we're taught this stuff aren’t okay and I'm really sorry.”