On Saturday, a video of Vietnam veteran and Omaha tribal elder Nathan Phillips being harassed by a group of white teenage boys from a mostly white county in Kentucky went viral. Did they come to learn from the Indigenous Peoples March? Support the Women’s March? Of course not: They came for the March for Life. While they were there, they decided it was a good opportunity to sneer at a 64-year-old Native American widower while he played a ceremonial drum.
As more stories come out about Covington Catholic High School, somehow, the school looks even worse. Let us count the ways:
First, another viral video is on Twitter, where you can hear a boy apparently from Covington clearly say: “It’s not rape if you enjoy it.”
The young women in the video look shocked—and an adult male in the front of the group, seen toward the end of the video, does absolutely nothing in response to the rape “joke.”
Second: In another video posted to Twitter as of Monday, a group of boys wearing MAGA hats taunts a young woman walking by. You can hear one boy shout, “Slut!” at her. The Twitter poster (who is also the woman in the video) says these boys were also from Covington.
Don’t let it be lost on anyone that the student making the rape “joke” is a person who came to Washington to participate in an anti-abortion rally. Making rape jokes while protesting women’s health and abortion rights? Blaming the patriarchy doesn’t go anywhere near far enough with that one. These young men have no problem trying to limit a pregnant person’s agency, all the while making a mockery of sexual violence.
Last, but certainly far from least: Photos and videos of boys at the high school have begun circulating on the internet, showing them wearing blackface and body paint. Where? At a basketball game! With coaches! And parents! All around them.
Here’s the video:
There aren’t really words for how sickening and reprehensible the above video is.
Where are we at now? Covington has canceled classes on Tuesday and has taken down its website. Principal Robert Rowe released a letter explaining the school’s rationale, including the following:
“After meeting with local authorities, we have made the decision to cancel school and be closed on Tuesday, January 22, in order to ensure the safety of our students, faculty and staff.”
The school has apparently been receiving threats.
And the teens? Nick Sandmann, the student standing in front of Phillips in the viral video, wearing a MAGA hat and a smirk, and his family have apparently hired a PR firm. Said PR firm released a statement the following day, claiming the boys are not racist. Vice reports that the PR firm, RunSwitch, has a history of supporting the GOP in Kentucky, including none other than Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Sandmann is slated to appear on NBC’s Today show on Wednesday morning.
And when you think a story can’t be any more upsetting, Trump gets involved.
Of course he blames the media.