Teens at Desert Vista Cause Media Outrage After Posting Shocking Photo
February 2, 2016
On Friday January 22, 2016 students at Desert Vista High School in Tempe, Arizona wore t-shirts for their traditional yearbook picture. The yearbook picture originally spelled out “BEST-YOU’VE-EVER-SEEN-CLASS-OF-2016.”
After the class photo was taken six girls got together and that’s when the controversial photo was taken. The picture was a photo of spelled out the N word. Social media went crazy and was first found on Snapchat, then spread to Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The girls caused a huge media state and national outrage. Many negative comments were added to every post seen of the girls calling them “racist.”
Tempe Union High School District, Jill Hanks, provided this statement:
“We are absolutely aware and outraged by this behavior. The students will be disciplined in accordance with district policy and while we don’t discuss specific discipline I can tell you that will be addressing the obvious need for sensitivity training in this case.”
On Monday January 26, 2016 people came out to protest the girls to be expelled from school.
How do you feel about the girls punishment? Should they get expelled?
“No, they should not be expelled from school or from any Tempe Union School, instead they should be punished by being suspended and not participate in any senior activities.”
“They shouldn’t get expelled, everyone makes mistakes and this situation got out of hand. But I did see other social media post about the girls not being sorry for what they had done.”
“I feel like everyone has their own opinion, I feel the punishment should fit the action. Everything that’s been happening in the media the girls should have been aware of what they were doing. Therefor I feel like they should be expelled.”
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John Gresham (Omega Psi Phi) • Feb 3, 2016 at 2:13 pm
I echo Bro. Blunt’s sentiments. Knowing the motivations is key. It’s hard for me to believe that in today’s world, these girls would not know the repercussions for doing an insensitive act like this. Young people, please think about what you’re doing before you go off and post anything on social media. Now when you post items, your actions are seen by the world as opposed to just a small group. I have long since tried to bury this hateful word.
Let the punishment fit the crime. These girls should not be expelled. At a minimum, they should be suspended for a couple of days and should participate in community service, preferably in an area where there is a larger number of people of color. Unfortunately, they will have to deal with the fallout of revoked scholarships to college, inability to work for certain companies, and overall social scorn.
These girls should be allowed to redeem themselves and the community at large needs to forgive them at some point. Except for one girl, I have not seen apologies from the rest of the group.
Jeffrey Patterson (Omega Psi Phi) • Feb 3, 2016 at 1:48 pm
I want the young adults to know their actions have consequences. I don’t think it was a hateful action they had planned but it makes you question why would they do it. If it makes them better human beings and tolerant to all people that’s good thing from it.
Carl Blunt (Omega Psi Phi) • Feb 3, 2016 at 12:02 pm
What was their motivation? Was it some sort of study to gauge reaction and see how many people just assumed the missing letters were “G’s” ? Did they want others to call them that? Were they attempting to render the word harmless with their display or were they conducting an overt display of racism and insensitivity duirng Black History Month?
Did they receive guidance from others in preparing this display?
Once those questions are answered, then an appropriate level of punishment can be levied. Get the parents involved and determine if there is an indication of motivation based on their parents beliefs.
Punishment can range from sensitivity training, taking Black History Classes, suspensions up to expulsion. Maybe they need to be transferred for their own safety or the safety of other students.
Once their motivation is revealed then they must face the consequences !
Angela Richards • Feb 3, 2016 at 10:20 am
TI think this is the most disrespectful thing that I have seen in a long time. I think they should be made take a black history class before they earn their high school diploma. It is evident that they failed their history class. Every high school history mentions some form of slavery and the African American pass.
Desiree • Feb 3, 2016 at 9:54 am
I believe these girls should be suspended. I get that “everyone makes mistakes”, but we live in a world that should know better than this by now. We are supposed to learn from our history, not make the same mistakes.
Crystal De La Rosa • Feb 3, 2016 at 9:49 am
Although, it goes against the first amendment, I believe the punishment the girls received was fair. If the picture was took off of school property, it would be a different story, but it was and that’s what makes the photo to have such a punishment.
Samantha Munoz • Feb 3, 2016 at 9:48 am
I believe the girls should not get expelled from school. Everyone makes mistakes but they do deserve punishments for their actions they were clearly aware of. Why get them expelled for a reason that can be quickly solved. They got suspended from school and that’s all the punishment they deserve because now they learned from their wrong doings.
Agustin Garcia Flores • Feb 3, 2016 at 9:46 am
I believe that the girls should be expelled; they knew what they were doing, it was intentional. The fact that they think doing that was for some reason funny was disappointing and they should get punished for it.