A harrowing video has surfaced of a racially charged schoolyard incident that rocked an Ohio community last month.
Kenwood Elementary School in Springfield, Ohio, came under national scrutiny after it was reported that children there were assaulted after refusing to say “black lives matter.”
The incident occurred on Feb. 10 and, according to a police report, involved a number of black students who targeted their white classmates.
The black students demanded that the white students say “black lives matter” and recorded them making the proclamation.
Students who declined? According to police, they were “chased down and escorted, dragged, or carried to the playground” and forced to utter the words.
WKEF-TV has now acquired surveillance footage that shows what exactly went on in the schoolyard.
WARNING: The following videos show events viewers may find disturbing.
Journalist Andy Ngo posted a zoomed-in version of the clip that provides a little more detail:
Update: The City of Springfield, Ohio has released surveillance footage of the elementary school incident from Feb. 10 where white students were held hostage & assaulted on the playground by black students who wanted to force them to pledge allegiance to #BLM. pic.twitter.com/MFTrneH12G
— Andy Ngô ?️? (@MrAndyNgo) March 3, 2023
In the above videos, you can see white students being rounded up, thrown to the ground, and forced to kneel in front of their black classmates.
The disturbing footage may change the tune of some parents who gave surprisingly evenhanded responses to WHIO-TV when the incident first came to light.
“I’m angry as a parent, but I understand they are children,” said Ryan Springer, whose 12-year-old son was one of the hazing victims.
“It’s not OK to hate anybody because of their skin color or their gender or sexual orientation, or anything like that. Nobody should be hating anybody. … They should just be worried about being children,” he said.
Springer did wonder how school authorities allowed these racial tensions to boil over on the school playground.
“Where was the school staff when all of this was taking place? And why? Why did it get so far?” he asked.
The school district is currently working with police to investigate the matter.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
