NEHS student asks 4J to stop ongoing hate crimes

At the March 1 meeting, a North Eugene High student asks the school board to take action.

[00:00:05] North Eugene High School student: I’m a student from North Eugene High School. I’m here to talk about some of the racist acts that have been happening in our community lately. This past weekend we had a basketball game at Junction City. The Junction City students were targeting and harassing our people of color that were on the basketball team and in the audience.

[00:00:24] They were using the N-word and calling ’em very many and after the basketball game, they even attacked one of our students. Our student then attacked to defend themselves as well. That student is the one in trouble and not the other students.

[00:00:37] We had a female student that is Black exit the classroom the other day, and this group of white boys were just loitering in the hallway. She asked if she could get past them and they called her the N-word and cornered her and started laughing at her. This isn’t the first time we’ve had this happen. We’ve had many students of color being attacked and targeted at our school and in this community. We had kids from Junction City after the basketball game drive over to North and threaten to attack one of our students.

[00:01:12] It is disheartening to see the school board has done nothing about this. And that our teachers are unaware of this. I have mentioned this to many of my teachers and none of them were aware of any of this happening. Many of the students in my school are unaware of the acts that are being committed towards their fellow classmates.

[00:01:28] Many of our Black students are afraid to come to school and are afraid to be there. I hate seeing my fellow classmates not wanting to come to school simply ‘cause they’re afraid they’re going to be attacked and hate-crimed.

[00:01:42] My teachers said that they’re unaware. Nobody is telling them anything. They are always finding out very last. Students know before them. Nobody is letting them know. Our teachers are unable to help their students because nobody’s making ’em aware.

[00:01:59] I would like the board to take more accountability for our students of color and allow them to have a safe place to learn. All students should be able to learn. All students should be able to have learn in peace and not worry about their fellow classmates attacking them or getting hate crimed.

[00:02:16] I watched a student cry in our BSU meeting, explaining how she was cornered by white children, saying that she was afraid to come to school. She cannot leave her classrooms until hallways are completely clear, to feel safe in our school. I don’t think any student should ever feel unsafe in their school. It is appalling that this is just happening and they know the children who did this to her.

[00:02:42] They’re aware of the children who are committing these crimes. They’re not doing anything about it. Those children are able to go home and sleep peacefully and continue doing these acts because they’re not getting reprimanded and not being told, “No.” Our Black students are going home traumatized, scared to come to school, unable to learn because they’re always under fear that they’re going to get attacked the next time they leave class.

[00:03:06] Many of our students are unaware that this even happened. We do not have enough safe places for our Black students or any person of color in our school. I really would like to see something happen about this. I don’t want it to just get swept under the rug and not talked about again. I have so many friends that tell me that they’re scared.

[00:03:31] They don’t want to be attacked. They get so overwhelmed when talking about this stuff because they’re afraid that if they talk about it more, they’re going to be shunned and told to be quiet, because their opinions shouldn’t matter just simply because they are Black and that they’re treated as lower-class people simply because of that.

[00:03:54] I hate seeing my friends, my fellow students have to be in fear and I, I’m white and I can’t, like, I don’t experience this, so I can’t be, like, ‘I relate to this,’ because I don’t. And it’s simply unacceptable that we’re allowing this to happen. They have been fighting for their freedom and to prove that they are citizens for over 100 years, and we are still not treating ’em like this.

[00:04:21] And this is something that comes from just letting these white people, white children, get away with this. They’re learning that it’s okay to do this because they aren’t getting reprimanded. They’re just being let go and allowed to continue hate-criming our students. Thank you.

[00:04:39] John Q: From North Eugene High School, a report that says white students are committing hate crimes with impunity. A student asks the board to take action.