A young Black teenager in Kentucky was involved in fisticuffs with his white teacher who reportedly called him the N-word and told him that he’d be just another “Black boy that got shot.”
According to The Courier-Journal, there was a viral Facebook video, that has since been taken down, that showed an encounter between 16-year-old Jamir Strane and his chemistry teacher, William Bennett, fighting each other at a high school located in Louisville, Kentucky. The teacher can be seen in a NY Post video on top of the student, fighting him and then pulling his hair until the boy seemingly screams in pain.
The altercation took place at the Marion C. Moore School allegedly after Bennett reportedly reprimanded Strane for using a bandana as a mask.
“There was a physical altercation at Marion C. Moore School between a student and a teacher,” Jefferson County Public Schools spokeswoman Renee Murphy stated. “A full review of the matter is currently underway and during this time the teacher will not be in the classroom.”
Murphy also mentioned that Bennett has been reassigned to non-instructional duties in the district’s materials production department.
According to WDRB, Strane said Bennett set him off after the teacher had criticized his bandana-style neck gaiter, which Strane was using as a face covering.
“He said, ‘You’re just going to be another Black boy shot,'” said Strane. “I’m going to put it in English. He said that you’re just going to end up in the streets dead, in my mind, like all my friends.”
That comment triggered Strane because he was shot in a drive-by shooting last summer.
“I got social anxiety from all the stuff I’ve been through over the last two years,” said Strane. “It’s eat or be eaten out here.”
“To be told that you’re just another boy that’s going to be shot dead, I could see where that could trigger his PTSD,” his mother Erica said. “Like I said, my son — he’s not a saint. He has his flaws. But, again, I can understand where the PTSD was triggered.”
Erica has started a GoFundMe page in anticipation of her son having to legally defend himself.
“As many as you may know my son has been attacked by his teacher we are starting a go fund me page for any lawyer fees that might be incurred and Expenses we may have. I will be off of work for as long as it takes to get justice for my son. I’m dedicating 100% of my time to my son. Every little bit helps. Please keep us in your prayers”