MONROE — Slurs hurled during a student parking-lot confrontation at Monroe High School earlier this month is being admonished in the community and is being investigated by police as a potential hate crime.
During a conversation that escalated into a pushing match, a white female slung the N-word at a Black male multiple times. The Black male and the white male tussled, during which the white female smacked the Black male** with a water bottle. Another male got in the middle to break up the tussle.
The Herald reported the Nov. 10 confrontation started when the Black male intervened against bullying.
Soon after the first confrontation, as the white male and female walked away, the Black male told them to “come at me, come at me — you don’t want to see a man get beat?,” eyewitness video shows.
The Black male followed where the confrontation continued at the white male’s car.
As a last goodbye, the white female called him the N-word in a challenge to hit her.
Monroe School District administrators promptly condemned the incident.
“The safety of every person at Monroe High School is our top priority. This includes physical, social, and emotional safety. We will strive to do everything in our power to make certain that each student we serve feels safe physically, socially, emotionally, and free from racial or any other forms of discrimination,” principal Brett Wille wrote in a community letter.
Superintendent Justin Blasko, in a letter, wrote that the incident “serves as a stark reminder of our duty and moral obligation to refocus our efforts, revise our strategies, and recommit ourselves to ensuring all of our students, families, and neighbors are welcome, safe, and feel like they belong to our school community.”
The Monroe Equity Council, an anti-racism group, will hold a community meeting Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m.
** - This change updates the word used to describe the male.
