CNN reports that an 11-year-old white girl has been charged with a hate crime after a 10-year-old African American girl was subjected to, what police are calling, “racially motivated language” and a black eye, police said Monday:
11-year-old girl charged with a hate crime after police say she beat up a 10-year-old – CNN https://t.co/PGjxBJovQr
— BlackParentingMagazine ?? (@BlackParenting1) September 25, 2019
Three girls—two of which were white—were involved in the assault on a school bus in Gouverneur, New York CNN affiliate WWNY reported.
The victim’s parents reported the incident to police on September 10. They said their daughter had a black eye, some of her hair had been pulled out and her knee was bruised after falling into the school bus seat, Gouverneur police said.
The 11-year-old girl—whose name has not been released—was charged with assault and a third-degree hate crime. The hate crime charge is a felony in NY.
“It’s not very often that we charge a hate crime in the village of Gouverneur,” said Gouverneur police Sgt. Darren Fairbanks.
The parents of the two girls were referred to St. Lawrence County Probation for further action—the cases will be handled in juvenile court.
The bus monitor, a 28-year-old woman, Tiffany Spicer of 183 River Road, Edwards, was also charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child Monday because police said she witnessed the assault, but “did not make an effort to stop and/or prevent said behavior.” Spicer is also white.
The superintendent of the Gouverneur Central School District, Lauren French, requested that First Student, the bus company used by the school district, to provide more training to bus aides and monitors.
‘[This] is probably the most professionally devastating event since I started working at Gouverneur in 1984,” French said. “I firmly believe we are better than this and we have to take a stand.”
First Student has yet to issue a comment on the incident.
