Black School Bus Driver: Kids Dress As KKK

[emad]

Guardian snip

Friday June 25, 2004 12:16 PM


OCALA, Fla. (AP) - A black school bus driver filed a complaint with authorities after seeing two children dressed in Ku Klux Klan robes and carrying a cross at one of her stops.

Claudette Johnson told the Marion County Sheriff's Office that she spotted the pair Wednesday among a group of students waiting for the bus. Johnson made eye contact with the two as the other students boarded her bus, but said the robed students did not speak.

The children in robes then crossed the street and handed the cross to another child, who dragged the cross away, the complaint said. They stood between 5 and 5 feet tall and weighed about 100 pounds, according to Johnson.

Johnson, a 23-year employee of the Marion County school system, said she had also seen a child wearing a KKK outfit at the same bus stop about two weeks ago. Her route serves students attending summer camp at a school. ``I don't think this is funny,'' she said. ``I'm an employee for the public school system. I shouldn't have to deal with this.''

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-4244102,00.html

[rfranklin]

1. Why is she so upset...

It was just a meeting of the Young Republicans.

[DBtv]

2. Vote Bush in '04 and this will be your future.

The publican party, legitimizing bigotry since 1980.

[jean]

3. Blatant harrassment - someone get on this and prosecute the case

[treepig]

10. how is it harrasment?

hasn't the SC ruled that the kkk have the right to make asses of themselves, simply by appearing in public places - as these dumbass kids did?

[jean]

11. Minor children who are not KKK members don't fall under the SC ruling

An adult in their midst might be a KKK member - why the hell don't they go stand at the bus stop - that would be legal according to the SC.

It's not Halloween - so why are kids outfitted in costumes meant to broadcast racial hatred?

Bus driver Claudette Johnson is a black woman with 23 years of experience driving and a lifetime of experience being black. I trust her instincts - this is a recipe for intimidation and harassment. She says this is the second time it has happened.

Bravo to her for looking those two kids straight in the eyes and to the cops for putting a detective on the case.

A detective is following the case and had identified one suspect, said Lt. Butch Gallion. To take further action, Gallion said authorities would have to prove the suspects intended to harass or intimidate Johnson.

Gallion said the bus stop incidents were the only Klan-related episodes to be reported to his office.

[smokindrew]

18. So how do you feel about FUBU clothing?

[DrWeird]

12. Well, usually..

klan members don't put on their robes when they're out walking the dogs.

Seems to me like these kids did it specifically so the bus driver would be intimidated. Which would make it harrasment.

[One_Life_To_Give]

13. Harrassement or Free Speach or Both?

Harrassement or Free Speach or Both?
I think it's clearly harrasement of the driver. But I am not sure it is not protected free speach as well. If they had threatened violence it would be a different story. But I don't think the threat of violence was sufficient to be actionable.

Like it or not they are entitled to their opinions and have a right to express them.

[DrWeird]

14. I'd say dressing up in a Klan outfit...

in order to harass a black person is itself a threat of violence.

Kind of like leaving lengths of rope tied up in nooses lying around.

[One_Life_To_Give]

16. What about Phaoroh costume

What about wearing a Pharoh costume in Haifa? While riding in a chariot? How about wearing a 1775 British Regulars Uniform?

It's been many years since the Klan Lynched anyone. And I didn't see any mention of these kids having a rope. And while had they hurled racial insults at the driver, it would of been rude and harrasing. Is that not protected as well as calling Repugs repukes etc.

[mbperrin]

17. Many years? How about if they killed someone

(does it have to be lynching?) in 1991?

http://www.splcenter.org/legal/landmark/hate.jsp

Lots more. BTW, YOU might try that Pharaoh gig, but I bet you wouldn't wear a Hitler mask in downtown Tel Aviv!

[treepig]

15. especially since she's

"an employee for the public school system. I shouldn't have to deal with this"

right, how could i have forgotten the special clause in the constitution that protects public school system employees from exposure to the unpleasantries of life . . .stupid, stupid, stupid!!

[SemperEadem]

19. and as a consequence of said actions, they should welcome the

scrutiny and inconvenience to their lives of their choice. If you're big and bad enough to wear it, then you're big and bad enough to take the consequences of your actions.

You'd have to be real stupid or intolerant to believe that wearing a klan outfit isn't a non-verbal means of intimidation or terrorization, as is burning a cross in someone's front yard. It's not a joke to black people. It's not funny to black people. It is taken as a bold threat and blatant terrorizing when you do this and there is no other way of looking at this. If you weren't trying to intimidate, terrorize or into power-tripping, then there is no need for a klan outfit in hot-ass June at a school bus stop, especially when you know that the bus driver coming down the road at that time of day, for the last 23 years, is a black woman doing her job.

It's not meant for anything else but to harass, intimidate and terrorize the woman. Disparaging the woman because she is feeling threatened by this non-verbal harassment and intimidation is probably as unfeeling and inhuman as I've read so far on DU.

[phillybri]

4. My brother lives in Ocalabama

A really enlightened Metropolis...:eyes:

Florida sucks...

[wjsander]

5. Kids these days...

wear the darndest things. :eyes:

[pinniped]

6. I don't know what to make of this.

------
the robed students did not speak
------
the district would try to identify the children and contact their parents if the hooded figures appeared again
------
The children in robes then crossed the street and handed the cross to another child, who dragged the cross away
------

Those kids sounds pretty eerie to me. Maybe they were ghostly abberations?

What kind of summer camp is this?

How big was the cross that a 5'5" tall kid would have to drag it?

At first I thought they were gonna re-enact the crucifixion for a class play but I dunno.

[7th_Sephiroth]

7. thats it

i'm driving my ass out to ocala and kicking some ass

[donsu]

8. that part of Fl. is a racist haven

the bus driver deserves a badge of courage. I'm wishing her stamina.

watching Fl. crumble

[Supormom]

9. Another story that should be covered by the American press.

But found in the Guardian. :eyes: