Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Angst Still Felt at South Philly High

Angst Still Felt at South Philly High:

"It has been over a month since the racial attacks erupted at South Philadelphia High School, but students and community leaders said school district officials are refusing to take accountability for the incidents.


Asian Pacific American community organizers said the tension between students began about a year ago when five to six Asian Pacific American students were chased into a subway station and allegedly assaulted. Students reached out for help, according to its organizers. They described routine harassment at school: milk being thrown at them in the cafeteria, kids assaulting them in the cafeteria and bathrooms, money being stolen from them in the bathrooms, and more.

Requests to install security cameras and hire a bilingual security officer were made after that incident, said APA community leaders. It was not until after the highly publicized Dec. 3 attacks, they said, that those requests were addressed."