In an absolutely disturbing nightmare scenario, a Black teenager in Woodsboro, Texas, says he was attacked by three fellow teens wearing costumes resembling Ku Klux Klan (KKK) robes. The high schooler, whose identity has not been revealed as he is a minor, was out for Halloween when he was allegedly attacked by the teens with a taser gun, as reported by The Independent.
The survivor has legal representation via Matt Manning, an attorney, who gave a press conference on Wednesday. During the conference, Manning (correctly) pointed out that dressing up like a Klansman is not an accident. “For you to dress up as a Klansman, you have a specific intent of terrorizing,” he told reporters.
“That’s not kids being kids,” Manning stressed. “That’s not boys being boys.” He went on to say that “hijinks” when you’re in high school might involve, for example, throwing eggs at someone’s house—not dressing up as a KKK member and terrorizing a person of color.
In speaking to local outlet NewsWest9, Manning repeated a similar message, stressing that this isn’t a situation where youth “just happened to get into a fight” but rather a “specific act of terror” including perpetrators “emulating the members of a terrorist organization.”
According to Manning, his client wasn’t the only person terrorized on Oct. 31. While none of the identities have been revealed, Manning shared on Facebook that at least one other minor—who according to Manning, is younger than his client—shared a similar story. According to local outlet KSAT, Manning believes there might be five other victims in addition to his client, from the same night, though not all may have been shocked by a taser—some might have been chased or otherwise terrorized, according to Manning.
Because the alleged perpetrators are minors, their identities also have not been revealed. Manning has said, however, that three teenage boys involved in the attack were allowed to participate in a high school football game following the attack. The Woodsboro school district has issued a statement saying the school can’t discipline students involved because the attack occurred off-campus and not during a school-sponsored event.
As of now, there are no criminal charges filed or arrests made. The race of the attackers has not yet been made public. According to Jeremy Coleman, the head of the Corpus Christi NAACP chapter, per the Associated Press, he’s considering the assault a hate crime until proven otherwise.
You can watch the press conference below.
YouTube Video
The survivor has legal representation via Matt Manning, an attorney, who gave a press conference on Wednesday. During the conference, Manning (correctly) pointed out that dressing up like a Klansman is not an accident. “For you to dress up as a Klansman, you have a specific intent of terrorizing,” he told reporters.
“That’s not kids being kids,” Manning stressed. “That’s not boys being boys.” He went on to say that “hijinks” when you’re in high school might involve, for example, throwing eggs at someone’s house—not dressing up as a KKK member and terrorizing a person of color.
In speaking to local outlet NewsWest9, Manning repeated a similar message, stressing that this isn’t a situation where youth “just happened to get into a fight” but rather a “specific act of terror” including perpetrators “emulating the members of a terrorist organization.”
According to Manning, his client wasn’t the only person terrorized on Oct. 31. While none of the identities have been revealed, Manning shared on Facebook that at least one other minor—who according to Manning, is younger than his client—shared a similar story. According to local outlet KSAT, Manning believes there might be five other victims in addition to his client, from the same night, though not all may have been shocked by a taser—some might have been chased or otherwise terrorized, according to Manning.
Because the alleged perpetrators are minors, their identities also have not been revealed. Manning has said, however, that three teenage boys involved in the attack were allowed to participate in a high school football game following the attack. The Woodsboro school district has issued a statement saying the school can’t discipline students involved because the attack occurred off-campus and not during a school-sponsored event.
As of now, there are no criminal charges filed or arrests made. The race of the attackers has not yet been made public. According to Jeremy Coleman, the head of the Corpus Christi NAACP chapter, per the Associated Press, he’s considering the assault a hate crime until proven otherwise.
You can watch the press conference below.
YouTube Video