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Catholic Boys School Shuts Down Amid Fallout over DC Videos
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By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
January 22, 2019

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COVINGTON, Ky. โ€” A Kentucky boysโ€™ school shut down its campus on Tuesday as a precaution and a small protest was held outside their diocese as fallout continued over an encounter involving white teenagers, Native American marchers and a black religious sect outside the Lincoln Memorial last week.
President Donald Trump tweeted early Tuesday that the students at Covington Catholic High School โ€œhave become symbols of Fake News and how evil it can beโ€ but says he hopes the teens will use the attention for good, and โ€œmaybe even to bring people together.โ€


The recorded images that initially generated outrage on social media were tightly focused on the students wearing โ€œMake America Great Againโ€ hats who seemed to laugh derisively as they surrounded an elderly Native American beating a drum.
Longer videos from wider perspectives emerged later over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend. They revealed that the drummer โ€” Omaha Nation elder Nathan Phillips โ€” had intervened between the boys and the religious sect, at a moment when the teens seemed to be getting rowdier and the black street preacher with a megaphone who had been making racist statements against both groups was escalating his rhetoric.
Soon, all sides were pointing fingers, speaking their own truths about feeling victimized and misunderstood.
โ€œWe just donโ€™t know what the volatility of the situation is with these people that react and they donโ€™t know the full story. And itโ€™s very scary,โ€ Jill Hamlin of Cincinnati, who was there to chaperone as the boys attended an anti-abortion rally, told FOX News Tuesday morning.

Diocese Issued Statement Criticizing the Boysโ€™ Behavior

The American Indian Movement Chapter of Indiana and Kentucky held a small protest outside the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington, with activists outnumbered by the media. Meanwhile, the schoolโ€™s principal, Robert Rowe, said that โ€œafter meeting with local authorities,โ€ they decided to close the campus โ€œto ensure the safety of our students, faculty and staff.โ€

โ€œIt was amazing how quick those who preach tolerance and non-judgment of others were to judge and label some high school students based on partial information.โ€ โ€” Gov. Matt Bevin
Phillips, for his part, offered Tuesday to come to the boysโ€™ campus and join with them in a dialogue about cultural appropriation, racism and the importance of listening to and respecting diverse cultures.
โ€œLetโ€™s create space for the teaching of tolerance to happen,โ€ his statement said, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. โ€œI have faith that human beings can use a moment like this to find a way to gain understanding from one another.โ€
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The diocese, which issued a weekend statement criticizing the boysโ€™ behavior, was unavailable for comment Tuesday morning. Both the school and the diocese websites were taken offline.
Kentuckyโ€™s governor also weighed in, saying he was saddened by what happened.
โ€œIt was amazing how quick those who preach tolerance and non-judgment of others were to judge and label some high school students based on partial information,โ€ Gov. Matt Bevin tweeted. โ€œIn a world where we have a wealth of information at our fingertips, we have increasingly little discernment and wisdom. โ€ฆ Facts matter. โ€ฆ The truth matters. โ€ฆ Context matters. โ€ฆ A little more genuine caring for one another and a little less digital vitriol would be good for all.โ€

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