The Time is Now to Share with Family & Friends
Salvation Prayer
Book of Life.
The Time is Now to Share with Family & Friends
Salvation Prayer
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On Monday, hundreds of “radicalized” pro-Palestine students at Hillcrest High School in Queens began a pre-planned riot after seeing a teacher’s Facebook profile picture showing her at the October 9 pro-Israel rally in Queens with a sign reading, “I stand with Israel.”
Speaking with the New York Post, one senior at the school revealed that seeing the teacher’s support for Israel led to a “bunch of kids” creating “a group chat” to “expose her, talk about it, and then talk about starting a riot.”The NYPD and the school were able to learn of the students’ plan to riot just in time to protect the teacher in a locked office. According to New York City Councilman James Gennaro (D-Queens), the NYPD sent several dozen officers along with its counterterrorism unit to investigate the potential threat against the school.
“Whether it was one student or multiple students who did or said something, whatever the trigger was, something happened,” Gennaro told the outlet, adding: “I know from my many years on the City Council that the counterterrorism task force is not engaged unless they believe it is potentially a serious situation.”
One of the students involved in the riot later shared a video of the incident on the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok, along with the caption, “POV: your school had 1 lockdown, multiple fights, and riots just because of a teacher that choose [sic] to wake up one day and choose to support against Zionism and occupation.”
The teacher has since issued a statement about the incident.
“I have been a teacher for 23 years in the New York City public school system, for the last seven at Hillcrest High School,” the statement read. “I have worked hard to be supportive of our entire student body and an advocate for our community, and was shaken to my core by the calls to violence against me that occurred online and outside my classroom last week.”
“No one should ever feel unsafe at school. students and teachers alike,” the teacher added. “It’s my hope in the days ahead we can find a way to have meaningful discussions about challenging topics with respect for each other’s diverse perspectives and shared humanity.”
“Unless we can learn to see each other as people we will never be able to create a safe learning community,” her statement concluded.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) also condemned the students’ actions in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The vile show of antisemitism at Hillcrest High School was motivated by ignorance-fueled hatred, plain and simple, and it will not be tolerated in any of our schools, let alone anywhere else in our city,” he wrote. “We are better than this.”
“NYC Schools is already conducting a full investigation into how this incident took place, and, this week, Project Pivot teams will begin outreach with students at Hillcrest to ensure they understand why this behavior was unacceptable,” Adams wrote in a follow-up post.
“No student, teacher, or staff member should fear for their safety in our schools,” he concluded.
In a striking case of media overreach and irresponsibility, sports media outlet Deadspin has become the object of scorn over its recent unjust attack on a young Kansas City Chiefs supporter. The outlet published a piece targeting what is believed to be an underage fan titled “The NFL needs to speak out against the Kansas City Chiefs fan in Black face, Native headdress.”
The article accused the child of a deeply offensive act based on his game-day attire, simply intended to honor his favorite team.At the heart of the controversy is the claim that the young fan’s face paint represented “black face,” a historically derogatory practice. The Deadspin author, Carron J. Phillips, argued that the NFL’s failure to address such fan behavior and to change the Chiefs’ name, as was done with the Washington Commanders, is to blame for the perpetuation of prejudice.
However, the report by Deadspin conspicuously failed to show the full context. The child’s face paint was not a singular color but rather the team’s colors, red and black, split down the middle. Critics of Phillips’ piece were quick to point out this oversight, accusing the writer of dishonesty. In response to the backlash, Phillips blocked replies to his post about the article on the X platform, formerly Twitter, but the criticism didn’t stop there.
Industry peers and social media users slammed the article for its apparent deceit and sensationalism. TPM’s Libby Emmons criticized Phillips for potentially ruining the life of a child over face paint at a football game. TPM’s Savanah Hernandez expressed contempt for Phillips’ stance, calling out the fragility of a society that would be upended by a child’s game-day spirit.
Phillips doubled down on his position, even going so far as to attack those who celebrate Cinco de Mayo wearing sombreros, suggesting a hypocritical stance on cultural appropriation. This, too, was met with derision, with Hispanic journalist Julio Rosas giving a tongue-in-cheek “permission” for such celebrations, highlighting the absurdity of Phillips’ logic.
Deadspin’s approach raises questions about the responsibility of the media in portraying events and individuals fairly. The outlet’s decision to selectively present the young fan’s image has sparked a conversation about the ethics of journalism. The community notes on X pointed out the misleading nature of the article, emphasizing the importance of context in reporting.
Phillips’ previous articles have also been contentious, covering topics from the popularity of athletes like Simone Biles to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ kneeling during the national anthem. His work reflects a pattern of stirring controversy and engaging in what some might consider ‘woke’ journalism.
This incident with the young Chiefs fan is not an isolated event but a symptom of a more significant issue in the media today. The eagerness to frame narratives without full disclosure contributes to a climate of distrust between the public and the press. The role of journalism should be to illuminate truth, not to cast shadows where there is light. Media outlets must uphold the standards of accuracy and fairness, particularly when the subjects of their reporting are minors and the potential for harm is significant.
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