Newton Police stopped Black Newton Parent at Gunpoint Minutes Away from His Home
Dear Newton North Community,
Thursday, I shared my concerns about recent student social media posts, and I am writing to follow up on that letter. As I mentioned, recent events have led us all to think more deeply about racism and how it manifests itself in society-at-large, and also here in Newton. The recent incident, when the Newton police stopped a black Newton North and Day parent at gunpoint minutes away from his home, highlights that our work extends beyond the walls of our building and into our community as well. This work often makes students feel a host of emotions: sadness, anger, fear, confusion, and others. These emotions can be difficult to sit with. As a community, we want to help students process feelings in a healthy manner, collectively combat racism, and begin the long journey of healing.
Unfortunately, and at the cost of the safety of our community, several students have used social media as a tool to revisit racist events and harmful comments from the past. Some students have reposted videos from previous school years of peers using racially offensive language that may have already been addressed, and in one particular case, a student stated that he would remove the videos he posted only if he was paid money. In this case, the Newton Police have been notified and are investigating the matter. We know that social media has been a key part in seeking justice and accountability in our society in the last ten years. We also know that a driver of these efforts stems from a community that does not feel that institutions are doing enough to seek that justice. We also want to be an institution that allows students to express their anger and we need to support them so that they express themselves in a healthy manner.
As an institution and community, we stand against all forms of racist speech and action and have been committed to a community-wide effort to address and dismantle racism. In our view, publicizing or republicizing racially offensive language, regardless of the intent, causes harm because it can re-victimize people of color. We encourage all students and families to notify a Dean or the police if they observe hate speech or other offensive material online. We also ask students and families to have a dialogue about the purpose of their social media posts and how to use online tools effectively to promote change and healing.
This blog post shares how to have conversations with your children about racism and racial violence https://www.commonsensemedia.
This article explains how we can help create change on social media through positivity.
https://www.yesmagazine.org/
Thank you for your partnership in working to address racism in our community and effect permanent change so that all of our students feel valued and respected, inclusive of our students of color. Our counselors remain available to support students who need help processing recent events or other sources of distress.
Best,
Henry J. Turner, Ed.D
Principal
Newton North High School
We will do better. I will do better.
Full Statement: https://t.co/gSOkCN3cYD#NOLAsTeam⚔️ pic.twitter.com/rmiNpvh4Bo
— Tim Duncan (@TimDuncanAD) June 2, 2020
Newton Police Stopped University Athletic Director At Gunpoint Days Before George Floyd’s Killing
Black former Northeastern AD says Newton Police pulled guns on him 5 days before George Floyd
Days before George Floyd died, an ex-Northeastern AD says …
Black former Northeastern AD says Newton Police pulled …
Former Northeastern AD describes racial profiling incident in …
