Two boys re-enact George Floyd murder at De La Salle
Administrators, teachers and students at two East Bay schools were reeling in the wake of separate controversies: one involving students who appeared to mock the murder of George Floyd, and another involving a student who wore a Ku Klux Klan robe at school.
At De La Salle, a private Catholic school in Concord, two students were disciplined after a photo surfaced on social media of them re-enacting the May 2020 murder of Floyd. The undated photo depicts one student smiling as he kneels on another boy’s upper extremities — what appears to be the manner in which exMinneapolis Ofc. Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd before his death. The boy is raising a clenched fist, a common solidarity symbol for the Black civil rights movement.
The president of the school — which is known for its football success — said the incident resulted in discipline for both students, but that it would be a violation of their privacy to describe what kind of punishment the students received. Holquin sent out two schoolwide emails condemning the photo, which surfaced earlier this month, calling it out of step with the school’s mission and adding, “conversations about race, inclusion, and belonging will require dialogue and learning, a presumption of goodwill, a willingness to be self-reflective and uncomfortable, and the recognition of each person’s God-given human dignity.”
“We have handled this situation appropriately and will not share additional details about the consequences for these students as we wouldn’t in any discipline matter,” Holquin said.
An internal email between teachers at De La Salle said that student leadership felt “anger, disgust and disappointment” over the photo and that listening circles and other workshops were scheduled as a response.
Meanwhile, at Pittsburg High School, a student was disciplined after showing up Wednesday dressed like a member of the racist Ku Klux Klan terrorist organization, according to a statement from the school. That photo also circulated on social media.
Pittsburg Principal Todd Whitmire sent out a schoolwide email stating that the student told officials they had worn the costume on a “dare” and that the student had gotten through four class periods “because he wore the costume only during certain times and not during class.”
In an interview with this news organization Thursday, Whitmire said his administration is just as concerned with what to do to make things right with those the students’ actions offended as they were with the discipline that was handed out.
“Sometimes, you can do something and not realize just how many people are going to be hurt by what it is your doing,” he said. “You don’t see the bigger picture. I think that’s probably what happened here. So in that sense, we have to make sure that in addition to discipline, how do we go forward making sure that the there is accountability taken and an attempt to make things better with those who have been hurt.”
In his email to the school, Whitmire said the school community as a whole was “very disappointed” and they they were “committed to addressing what has occurred.”