*Parents of students at an Oakland school were left outraged after racist hate speech was discovered in a girls’ bathroom.
Several parents held a rally Tuesday demanding officials at Thornhill Elementary School take action for the offensive graffiti that read: “Black lives don’t matter – kill them all,” according to NBC Bay Area.
“This is unacceptable. This is learned behavior, at home and is a threat to society,” said Thornhill parent Mary Wright, via NBC.
The district removed the threatening message and notified the police about the incident. Check out the video report above.
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Parents at Thornhill Elementary in Oakland are demanding the school take action after a racist message was written on a school bathroom reading “Black Lives Don’t Matter” and “Kill them all”. OUSD is investigating who is responsible. @nbcbayarea pic.twitter.com/itW2iIVmce
— Velena Jones (@velenajones) November 2, 2022
“Something needs to happen,” Wright added. “There is a racial issue that is happening and it’s not just at Thornhill. It is across OUSD,” Wright said.
The school — located in an affluent, predominantly white area — has a 10 percent Black student population so there is likely not a lot of support for Black kids to prevent further situations like this.
“From an OUSD standpoint, I think are under supported,” said parent Travis Pfeifer, whose daughter is biracial. “Thornhill is in a relatively affluent area but it is counterintuitive because that means the Black students here are even more vulnerable,” he said.
The school district released the following statement in response to the racist incident:
“OUSD had an incident last week at an elementary school in which hateful and racist graffiti was written on a wall. Staff immediately removed the graffiti, and the principal informed the school community about what had happened. At the same time, the principal and school staff started investigating to determine who might have written the vile and threatening language, and why. Likewise, the District is in contact with Oakland Police regarding the incident.
“This kind of language is unacceptable anywhere in society, especially in our schools. Schools are meant to be warm, welcoming, and inclusive places of learning, where everyone feels protected and loved. This kind of incident erodes that sense of security.
“To facilitate the healing the school community is doing, here are some specific things that we are working on:
- Continue to provide anti-racist teachings
- District Supported Family Listening Sessions
- District increase in noon supervisor time
- Affinity groups for adults supported by OUSD’s Office of Equity
- Professional development to support staff
“The District is not repeating the text of the graffiti so as not to give such hateful language greater attention.”
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