Authorities in Los Angeles launched an investigation on Wednesday after a video emerged online showing several high school students covering their faces with dark paint and using racial slurs.
The video, originally posted to Snapchat and later shared on Twitter, documents a group of predominantly female students laughing as one male teenager’s face is painted with a dark color.
The female recording the short clip can be heard calling out ‘white n*****’ as other students watch on laughing and using racially charged language, with many of their faces having also been painted.
‘Ooga booga n*****,’ calls out another girl, causing another sickening raucous of laughter to break out.
The video, originally posted to Snapchat and later shared on Twitter, documents a group of predominantly female students laughing as one male face is painted
Those documented in the video are said to be students of Quartz Hill High School, in Lancaster, California. It was filmed off campus during summer break.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department says they’ve been made aware of the video and are now investigating the incident.
Students, parents, officials and viewers online alike have all voiced their outrage in a collective voice.
‘I mean it’s crazy,’ 14-year-old Quartz Hill student Michaela told NBC4. ‘Because this is my generation. And seeing that my generation is doing this – it’s kind of like, it’s a disgrace to this generation because we are known as the future leaders.’
One of the Twitter users responsible for circulating the video so widely branded it ‘disgusting’ and urged the online sphere to help her ‘get these nasty kids in trouble’.
Antelope Valley School District officials issued a statement decrying the heinous stunt as ‘deeply offensive’, describing the teens’ actions as ‘inexcusable racist behavior’.
The female recording the short clip can be heard calling out ‘white n*****’ as other students watch on laughing and using racially charged language
Those documented in the video are said to be students of Quartz Hill High School, in Lancaster, California. It was filmed off campus during summer break
‘This runs counter to the District’s core values of integrity, respect for the individual, diversity, and community. We are working on identifying those in the video, while including our law enforcement partners, and will take action as deemed appropriate,’ a district spokesperson continued.
‘We strive to provide a culture of inclusivity and kindness. We ask all parents, students and community members to share our commitment to compassionate and kind conduct both on and off campus.’
Speaking to ABC Eyewitness News, a mother of one of the students in the video tearfully explained that though her child had done something ‘insensitive and stupid’, she insists she isn’t racist.
The anonymous woman added that her family has received death threats since the video was posted online and now they’re in hiding.
Beginning on July 1, counselors will visit each Quartz Hill class to reinforce the school’s values of unity
Quartz Hill High School has since directly addressed the issue to parents in a letter that was circulated on Wednesday.
‘While this video goes against everything QHHS stands for, we will not let it shape our school culture,’ the letter states. ‘Our true strength is our diversity and our unity of purpose in creating an inclusive, compassionate and safe school culture.’
The school added that it has been having conversations with parents about the concerning video, as they prepare to enroll their children in Summer school.
Beginning on July 1, counselors will visit each class to reinforce the school’s values of unity, an official confirmed.
The incident involving Quatz Hill students worryingly comes as part of an apparent emerging trend among teenagers in middle and high schools across the country, where white adolescents have uploaded similar videos of them appearing in black face and using racist language.