Minnesota Police Investigating Racist Video Encouraging Black Student To Kill Herself
Police in Savage, Minn., are reportedly investigating a racist video shared on social media of a white girl spewing hateful and racist slurs toward a Black high school student and encouraging her to commit suicide.
Mya Sigin, a Black student at Prior Lake High School says she was shocked by the video, which she believes targets her.
"I really couldn't comprehend what I was listening to, it was really just a wave of different emotions. I was angry, I was disgusted, I was sad, I was confused," the 14-year-old told CNN, adding she's known the girl in the video "basically, my entire life."
In the 57-second clip, a white girl says, "You can f*****g rot in hell...no one likes N*****s ... f*****g kill yourself right this time." In the background, another girl can be heard exchanging vitriol and laughter with the girl on camera.
Sigin says she believes the video was originally posted on social media in September, but a student at her high school shared it with her last Monday (November 8). That night, Nya’s older sister Elizabeth, posted the video with her permission on her own Snapchat to expose the hate. It subsequently went viral.
"It was late Monday evening when I was advised of a horrific, hateful, racist video that was posted on social media platform," Savage Police Chief Rodney Seurer said at a news conference Thursday, according to CNN. "This is not tolerated here."
"Once the video was brought to our attention, we immediately launched an investigation into the students involved, and we will take swift and appropriate action," Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools (PLSAS) Superintendent Teri Staloch, said in a November 9 letter to staff and families.
Sigin says she struggles with mental health issues and believes that’s one of the reasons she was targeted.
"They were always kind of hateful towards me ... they would always bring up, like, my mental health issues, like my personal issues," Nya said, noting that she wants to see justice from school and government officials.
"It's still early on in the investigation so really can't comment on what possible charges ... We're looking at all aspects, wherever our investigation will take us," Seurer said.
