Fleming senior wears racist T-shirt to school

Jacksonville.com ^ | 9.15.05 | BRAD SCHMIDT

[conserv13]

"What's up with your shirt?"

Those are the words a former senior at Fleming Island High School remembers hearing as he walked from his fifth-period algebra class toward the gym. The 18-year-old, who is not being identified due to his family's concerns of safety, had just taken off his Dixie Outfitter T-shirt, exposing a highly offensive shirt.

"What about it?" replied the 18-year-old, skinny and white.

"Well, you know it's racial," said a black student, now in a group confronting the 18-year-old.

"Yeah. So?"

The undershirt the white student wore had a confederate flag on the front with the words "Keep it flying." On the back, a cartoon depicted a group of hooded Klansmen standing outside a church, waving to two others who had just pulled away in a car reading "Just married."

Two black men in nooses were being dragged behind.

Upset by the shirt, a 17-year-old black student hit the white student in the head. A crowd of about 100 students gathered to watch the Aug. 29 fight before authorities intervened.

[sheik yerbouty]

Many thanks!

[sheik yerbouty]

Actually, pay per view might be feasible..

[FeliciaCat]

1. The kid is a dumbass, the T-Shirt is racist and the kid KNEW by wearing it he would provoke someone - he did and he got popped.

2. Does the school not have a dress code policy in force???

[Alter Kaker]

Just turn on the TV and you'll see offensive speech. I cringe every time I hear "white people have no rhythm".

Proportionality is everything. "White people have no rhythm" is quite a bit less extreme than "I'm going to urge folks to tie nooses around the necks of white people and drag them behind pickup trucks."

[Alter Kaker]

Love the screen name, you old fart. ;^)

Why thank you.

[baseballfanjm]

I don't blame him at all for what he did. He didn't mug the guy from behind. He confronted him verbally, and when the kid with the racist shirt was smarmy about it, he got hit. I can understand why.

[Shade2]

"But yet I hear RAP music lyrics wanting kill everything that isn't black".

No you don't.

[TomasUSMC]

Them is fighting words.

[gdani]

>>>>What he was doing was deliberately trying to provoke a reaction.

Are you sure? I think it's best to stay out of people's heads, for once.

What other reason would he possibly have for wearing the shirt? As I said, no one is that stupid.

[trisham]

Being a schoolyard brawl, I don't think the criminal courts are called for. Plus the violence was obviously incited, so he might even get off completely in front a jury. But he did break the rules, so he can't just get off without some kind of action. What action would depend on the kid's history.

************

Agreed. Add to that this is likely just the first of many, many altercations for the white kid. All of which he'll be asking for.

[DilJective]

You are absolutely correct. And, they expanded the hate-crime victim pool. Guess who's not in it?

[VRWCmember]

Racist or not, we either have free speech or we don't. If the left-wingers have the "free speech" to engage in overtly treasonous behavior, then this kid should have the free speech right to express his own beliefs, however odious.

Freedom of speech, within educational institutions, does not include the right to wear clothing with disruptive or offensive images or messages on them.

[azhenfud]

"Free speech is either free or it ain't.."

It ain't. Every word spoken under the cloak of freedom was bought by and paid for by the sacrifice of someone.

If you want "free speech", be willing to take responsibility for its price.

[stainlessbanner]

Dixie Outfitters has a fantastic website.

[TheBigB]

The old Texan adage "Some folks just need killin'" springs to mind here. While I certainly don't condone anyone being killed over a t-shirt, I shall tweak the statement to say, "Some folks just need an @$$-kickin'." This is one of said folks.

[hispanarepublicana]

If he'd had this shirt on instead, this never would've happened.

[jude24]

?????

[jw777]

no he didn't.

[DoraC]

What other reason would he possibly have for wearing the shirt? As I said, no one is that stupid.

I don't know, nor do I care. He shouldn't become the victim of violence because of any T-Shirt he wears.

[conserv13]

I'm a bit offended that he'd wear a shirt implying that the confederate flag is associated with the KKK.

Yeah, I really don't like that the confederate flag has been hijacked by those bastards.