The student suspended from for writing has been charged with ethnic intimidation, Oakland County prosecutors said late Tuesday.
Courtney Thomas, an 18-year-old African-American student, is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in 48th District Court and to what is the first in a string of racist incidents at the high school.
Judge Kimberly Small approved the warrant Tuesday after hearing evidence presented by members of the .
Neither the police nor school administrators could confirm whether Thomas was responsible for other incidents at Seaholm, which includes more graffiti and racist notes discovered in an and the .
Marcia Wilkinson, Birmingham’s director of community relations, said the school could release no other information on the student under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Ethnic intimidation is a felony punishable by two years in prison. Deputy Police Chief Mark Clemence said the incident is admissible under the ethnic intimidation law since the graffiti named five African-American students and mentioned lynching.
At the district’s Tuesday night school board meeting, Superintendent David Larson praised those involved in addressing the problem, including students, staff and Seaholm's outgoing principal, Terry Piper.
“We really want to thank Mr. Piper and the staff for their leadership,” said Larson. "It’s very important as a district to be vigilant and committed to diversity.”
Larson said the district is considering installing temporary cameras in high school hallways as a deterrent to crimes such as these. The school board will likely look at the camera issue at one of its June meetings, Larson said.
Jeff Butler, a senior at Seaholm, spoke out at the school board meeting, saying that even though someone’s been caught, more needs to be done to address the perception of racism among Seaholm students.
“The students did a great thing,” Butler said, referring to a held May 8 and May 2. “But there needs to be more … I have friends from other high schools, and they say, ‘You go to the racist high school.’”
Assistant superintendent for educational services Paul DeAngelis said Seaholm and the district are dedicated to addressing this issue on a consistent basis. “We remain committed to maintaining a program of this type,” he said.
Larson said, throughout this process, the district has been working closely with Birmingham African American Family Network, the NAACP, the Anti-Defamation League and a consultant from the University of Michigan to help develop programming specific geared toward addressing racism among students.
This work has also included several parent meetings. At the latest, held May 11, parents signed up to patrol the hallways on May 12 after the date was found in the latest spat of graffiti. Police also stepped up their presence throughout the day, though .
I am also pleased to read that our school district officials will continue to promote, cultivate and create programs and themes which combat racism and intolerance in our schools. Clearly the racial relations in our schools and community leaves a lot to be desire and nothing to write home about.
I personally know 2 of the young men who were targeted and have been outraged to know that they have had to deal with this. Now the story gets more bizarre!
I have evolved to value and respect the diversity, heritage and hue of all people. It is backward to ignore the value of diversity and heritage of a person. I never have a problem acknowledging the hue, hertiage and culture of others the very idea of being color blind is foolish and underdeveloped. It is revealing when people call others names it reflects a lack of integrity. Our community deserves better . BTW I will report violations of Birmingham Patch's code of service/conduct.
As I noted earlier there are more suspects involved in the ugly saga . I also value our laws and the principle of one being innocent until proven guilty of an allegation of a crime. I don't think the behavior of troubled youth in any way undermine the efforts and legacy of people like me and MLK. In fact if people are that shallow and tentative about the nature of MLK's legacy I find that troublesome. One other note I do hope after due process is recieved by all instead of criminal sanctions those responsible for these ugly incidents will recieve therapy etc. p.s. Please adhere to Patch's terms of service calling people names and making statements about thier guilt before the protocols of due process etc is really out of order. Please follow your own advice "but indicative of a larger problem in society where people too frequently jump to conclusions"
I hope this kid gets counseling, and I hope he gets the book thrown at him for playing this sick game.
I don't have a narrative nor do I engaged in speculation about another 's state of mind and intent. I am sure once you step away from your comments and revisit them at a later moment you will agree they left a lot to be desire..... Your comments were very inflammatory and left me pause as adults we have to model good judgement especially in perilous times. I am glad you did review Patch's Terms of Service for guidance now and with any future comments of yours. Again I don't think it is prudent to speculate on a person's guilt or innocence especially when those involved are troubled youth. I do accept your apology and regrets. I look forward to a better day for all of us here in Birmingham..
I don't think wild speculation is warranted here...As I previously posted there were a series of incidents and numerous suspects. I would caution you and others to not ignore reality and engaged in denial and avoidance with regard to our community's racial relations. In fact in my discussions with many parents, educators and others this ugly saga has revealed a number of troubled issues that people now are working together to confront and resolve... UNITED WE STAND