Students and administrators at a Suffolk, Virginia high school have come to the defense of four students who became the center of controversy when photos of them depicting a "Black Lives Matter" prisoner went viral earlier this week.
In celebration of their Spirit Week, many among the staff and student body at Nansemond River HS showed up in costumes for Character Day on Monday, October 17. Three of the school's students came dressed as police officers, with one of their peers complementing the trio, in prison garb. At some point during the day, the four of them posed together for pictures, with the impersonating prisoner crouching before those in police uniforms. After leaking onto social media, one of the photos drew some backlash, as it shows the student emulating a prisoner with a sign that read #Black Lives Matter in her hands.
After looking into the matter, principal Daniel O'Leary determined that the students didn't intend for the photograph to be offensive. In a letter sent home to families, O'Leary said that the girls came dressed as "Cops & Robber," and that the BLM sign was not originally part of their consumes. Various students who've since been approached by reporters have expressed trust that the incident wasn't racially motivated. "Nansemond River High School administrators interviewed these four students this morning, and they each regret that the photos were interpreted in such a negative way. Their intent was to bring light and awareness to the Black Lives Matter movement and nothing more," O'Leary wrote.
Source: 13newsnow.com
