Photo courtesy of local 4 News Detroit.
A student at Bloomfield Hills High School has filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the high school and the school’s principal, Charlie Hollerith and superintendent. Patrick Watson. The case was filed on Nov. 18.
The lawsuit alleges that nobody at the school, including Watson and Hollerith, did anything to protect Black students after being terrorized with racist threats written on the walls. One threat said, “Kill all N*****s.”
Another racist threat said, “All the N*****s should be dead.” A Black doll was also hung from a noose outside a second-floor window of the school. Yet another threat read that all Black people should be extinguished.
“All the N*****s should be extinguished.”
The lawsuit accused the Bloomfield Hills School District of failing to protect Black students from racial discrimination.
“Despite being notified of race discrimination and related injustices by students and parents, Defendant has failed and continues to fail to take steps reasonably calculated to stop the discrimination and ensure Plaintiff’s safety,” reads the lawsuit.
Student freshman Madison Williams said that she didn’t understand the hostility from the white students and was hurt by the racist threats.
“I don’t know what I’ve ever done to any of the students here to make them feel like we are so inferior that we must die, or that we must leave the school, or something like that,” she said. “It’s just really hurtful and I’m in fear for my life, honestly.”
A school board meeting was held on Nov. 18, and parents were distraught. One mother said she was shocked by the lack of action by Bloomfield Hills High School to protect the students.
“I can’t believe that there were direct threats made against Black people at the high school to ‘kill all N*****s’, and you guys did nothing about it?”
Another parent also spoke out at the meeting.
“And then I find out later that there are threats that all Black people should be killed? I can’t make a credible assessment if my children are safe. What should I do? That has to change,”said another parent.
A large group of students walked out of the school in protest on Nov. 12, also frustrated by the school’s lack of response to the threats. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of all students affected by racial discrimination.