Students Are Standing Behind This Teen Who Was Suspended After a Bully Called Him 'N****r' and Threatened to Kill His Whole Family
A video taken in a North Carolina high school has started a massive debate around racially targeted bullying. During an altercation between two students at Wake Forest High School, one student became so irate that he resorted to violence.
Micah Speed claimed to have been the subject of racially insensitive bullying, and he felt that he reached his breaking point.
"He said things like ... I need to name my son 'Convict' and 'Crackhead' ... because that's what they'll grow up to be," Micah told ABC 11. "He threw the N-word around very loosely, said things that I looked like I bathed in coffee beans and dirt."
One day, Micah was so angry that he grabbed the unnamed student's backpack and pulled him back. After the incident, Speed received a 10-day suspension — which has since been reduced to five days.
His friend Tyler Goodell posted the video to Instagram with an explanation defending Speed and condemning the school for not acting against the student who used racial slurs.
After his suspension, Micah's classmates protested against the school for his suspension.
Micah, 15, wants everyone to know that the actions he took in the video are not representative of who he is.
"I want to say I'm not a violent person. That's not who I am ... Everybody who's known me and that knows me currently knows that I try to avoid confrontation and I usually laugh things off, but I was just pushed over the breaking point," Micah said.
