Five middle-school students in Cocunut Creek, Florida, were arrested and charged after allegedly attacking white students on Wednesday in what is being called a racially charged-attack.
Authorities in Broward County, Florida confirmed the arrests to Fox News, which said four students from Lyons Creek Middle School were allegedly attacked by fellow students. The alleged attack occurred near the Coconut Creek Recreation Center. According to the Coconut Creek Police arrest reports, the reported victims were “racially profiled,” NBC Miami reported, adding that the students who allegedly attacked the white students shouted “It’s opposite day!” and “Brown power!” WSVN added in the video below that the alleged victims claimed the attackers shouted, “You are white.”
A group of middle school kids were arrested and charged with a hate crime after beating up a group of white kids yelling “you’re white, it’s opposite day” and “brown power.” pic.twitter.com/zikj5lBdSY
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 11, 2022
The arrest reports added, “The group looked at (the student) and stated ‘he is white’” and another student “tackled him to the ground which subsequently allowed the group of middle school kids to start hitting him with their hands, feet and phone chargers.”
One student told NBC Miami that boys from his school dashed over to “jump” him, adding that attackers hit and kicked him. He continued, “I put my hands up so they don’t whack my face.”
He continued, “After they jumped me, they said, this is, like, revenge for what they did in the 1700s for slavery.”
“Broward County Public Schools said in a statement that this was an off-campus incident that police and fire responded to,” NBC Miami stated. “The principal of the school sounded out a robocall to make parents aware of the incident, saying they are always working to provide a safe and secure learning environment and will work to ensure that any off-campus incidents do not impact students at the middle school.”
Frank Foster, whose son was one of the alleged victims, told NBC Miami, “They can’t do anything to the other kids because it didn’t happen on school property….He wants to go back to school there because all of his friends are there, but he doesn’t feel safe. There’s an opportunity to move out, but that seems like a punishment.”
Foster told Local 10 that the middle schooler who did report the incident received text messages later in the day that he was a “snitch.” Foster continued, “So people at school are calling him a snitch for reporting it and doing the right thing.”
He said of his son, “He’s scared and nervous; he’s scared to go back to school because some of those kids are in the same classes as him… I’m frustrated with the school that they’re not taking the effort to stop it and keep them safe,” Foster said.
The alleged attackers were initially charged with battery, but the arrest report states that the attacks were committed “with prejudice,” which raises the charges to felony status. The 2021 Florida statutes state:
The penalty for any felony or misdemeanor shall be reclassified as provided in this subsection if the commission of such felony or misdemeanor evidences prejudice based on the race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, homeless status, or advanced age of the victim