The Washington Post recently explained how four white teens Glenelg, Maryland got busted for spray-painting racist, anti-Semitic and antigay graffiti as a senior “prank.” They got busted by their own cell phones.
While the vandalism happened on May 24, 2018, The Washington Post is just now revealing details behind the actual hate crime which was committed by four graduating seniors: Seth Taylor, Matt Lipp, Josh Shaffer and Tyler Curtiss
The day before graduation, the teens spray-painted swastikas, penises, “KKK,” “F*ck,” “Jews,” “F*gs,” “Nigs” and “Burton is a n*gger,” a reference to David Burton, the black principal of Glenelg High School, a white-majority school. They wore t-shirts over their heads to conceal their identities from school security cameras. It took all of seven minutes.
The school emailed parents about the incident the morning after administrators discovered the graffiti. Although the school had cordoned off the vandalized area so that students wouldn’t be exposed to the hateful slurs, students began circulating images of the graffiti online, and it soon made national news.
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Naturally, Taylor maintains that he isn’t an anti-Semite, a homophobe or a racist. “Things got out of hand,” Taylor said. “I was under the impression we were going to do a prank, and it got bad.”
Here is footage of the teens committing the hate crime:
These white teens wore masks so they wouldn't get caught committing a hate crime.
Little did they know: When they snuck on campus to paint swastikas and slurs, their phones auto-connected to the school’s WiFi. Under their individual usernames.https://t.co/Vs9uwXyrzW pic.twitter.com/WM6cU1b29Y
— Jessica Contrera (@mjcontrera) July 9, 2019
He continued, “I spray paint one racist thing and, suddenly, I become a racist? Just because I did it doesn’t mean I hate Jews, gay people or black people.” He claims he didn’t know the full violent history of the KKK or the Nazis when he helped spray paint the school.
Taylor was the first to confess when questioned by authorities. Although he didn’t reveal his co-conspirators’ identities, he didn’t have to. As The Washington Post explains, “The school’s WiFi system requires students to use individual IDs to get online. After they log in once, their phones automatically connect whenever they are on campus.”
So when the vandals arrived on campus, the school’s WiFi system identified the students by their login IDs immediately. They were arrested the next day. When Taylor was handcuffed and led past other students, he asked the arresting officer, “Can you cover my face so that the kids don’t videotape me?”
The officer replied, “No. You deserve this.”
The men were charged with vandalism, destruction of property and a hate crime since their words antagonized gays, Jews and the fewer than five percent of students who are black. After the vandalism, several students told administrators that they felt unsafe at the school, others broke down in tears to teachers and faculty members.
All four men pleaded guilty and were sentenced to serve hundreds of hours of community service, consecutive weekends in jail and several years probation after which their hate crime charges would be expunged from their records. Two of the convicted students are contesting the hate crime charges as violations of their free speech.
jkthsnk
Videotape? We’re not dealing with geniuses.
Cam
It’s interesting that whenever something like this happens the first thing people try to say is “They aren’t racist”.
Really? Then it’s interesting that their minds went right to the N word, the F word and a swastika.
Chrisk
Yeah, if it was just a simple prank then they had many other options. He’s lying of coarse and I’ll bet the parents carry the same opinions.
dwes09
The parents of Taylor actually felt that they bore some fault for the actions of their son, not stressing respect for diversity enough. And despite the kids’ claim that they did not really learn the meaning of the symbols in school, the curriculum covered it is depth.
The school also has a history of racist graffiti, as well as its minority students feeling uncomfortable.
The article in the Post is well worth reading. The 4 kids delude themselves into thinking their behavior “came out of nowhere” and was not motivated by hate.
RIGay
Stupid is what stupid does.
Peacemaker
He didn’t know the history of the KKK or Nazi? Then why on earth is he on the list to graduate! Dumb is forever!
1dizzy1
The Washington Post article is excellent. Well worth clicking the link and reading.
CurtisIsTheOne
Thanks for the recommendation to read the Washington Post article. It is MOST DEFINITELY worth reading.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
All except Lipp looking older than the 17-18 average age of a HS senior, so am guessing the school didn’t lose candidates for valedctorian….
Our HS senior prank consisted of lifting a VW Beetle over a cement walk into the center of the campus square. The prank is supposed to be harmless creative fun. Not a vicious, hateful act
Not that these vile smcubags were headed there anyway, but they will never see the words “congratulations, you have been accepted”
PinkoOfTheGange
Ours was driven into the office. Hardest part was getting it to mount the 10″ sandstone curb. We even put a drip pan under it as not to stain the 100% asbestos tiles. And don’t ask how we got the keys.
Juanjo
They aren’t exactly a brain trust, are they? They completely forgot that their phones connect automatically which put them right on the scene at the appropriate time. Then they do the one sort of thing most likely to get them some seriously negative notice as a prank. Then their defense is “I did something racist and homophobic but I’m not really like that”. Back when I still did criminal cases I represented idiots like that.
If I had a dollar for every time some self-important, professional douchebag expressed outrage at being treated like a criminal, I would have a much fatter retirement account. This was usually followed up with “can’t you just explain to the judge that I am not really like that and ask him to let it slide this once”.
domen8r
So they chose to label their black principal by that word, not out of racism, but because…they rap hip-hop together? they view it as a compliment? they were under the impression he was “down like that”?!?!? First Amendment, my ass.
toronto
White privilege at work here. Let’s imagine the kids were muslim, they would be in Guantanamo right now labeled terrorists