The news media is being dragged once again. They botched another Russia-Trump story. And now, this insane story that MAGA-hat wearing high school kids hounded a Native American during March for Life last week. The incident occurred at the Lincoln Memorial, except there was no hounding. There were no “build the wall” chants. It was another rake stepping moment, and a lot of people have been forced to issue retractions after condemning the students of Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky. Guy also had a lengthy write up of the incident (via NYT):
A fuller and more complicated picture emerged on Sunday of the videotaped encounter between a Native American man and a throng of high school boys wearing “Make America Great Again” gear outside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.
Interviews and additional video footage suggest that an explosive convergence of race, religion and ideological beliefs — against a national backdrop of political tension — set the stage for the viral moment. Early video excerpts from the encounter obscured the larger context, inflaming outrage.
Leading up to the encounter on Friday, a rally for Native Americans and other Indigenous people was wrapping up. Dozens of students from Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky, who had been in Washington for the anti-abortion March for Life rally, were standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, many of them white and wearing apparel bearing the slogan of President Trump.
There were also black men who identified themselves as Hebrew Israelites, preaching their beliefs and shouting racially combative comments at the Native Americans and the students, according to witnesses and video on social media.
It was that group, the Hebrew Israelites, that were shouting the obscenities. The high school students were just doing sports chants. And the Native American man, Nathan Phillips, was the one who approached the high school kids, seeking to intervene before something bad broke out between the kids and the Hebrew Israelites:
…The Native American man, Nathan Phillips, 64, was encircled by an animated group of high school boys. He beat a ceremonial drum as a boy wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat stood inches away. The boy identified himself in a statement released on Sunday night as Nick Sandmann, a junior.
It was a provocative image that rocketed across social media, leading many, including the students’ own school, to condemn the boys’ behavior as disrespectful. But on Sunday, Mr. Phillips clarified that it was he who had approached the crowd and that he had intervened because racial tensions — primarily between the white students and the black men — were “coming to a boiling point.”
“I stepped in between to pray,” Mr. Phillips said
In his statement, Mr. Sandmann said he did not antagonize or try to block Mr. Phillips. “I did not speak to him. I did not make any hand gestures or other aggressive moves,” he said.
Yet, because the kids were wearing Make America Great Again gear, everyone thought the worst. Everyone assumed the worst. The many theses on white supremacy in America were getting primed in the insufferable realm of academia. And then, the backtracking began (via Mediaite):
Over the past 24 hours, journalists and public figures on Twitter have deleted previous posts slamming a group of MAGA hat-wearing teens for allegedly taunting a Native American vet, after more footage was released disputing the initial story. From CNN’s Jake Tapper to Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams, many on the internet are sharing a fuller explanation of the initial viral story.
[…]
Recode editor and New York Times contributing op-ed writer Kara Swisher, for instance, deleted one tweet saying she was thinking of “finding every one of these shitty kids and giving them a very large piece of my mind,” and other tweets throwing slurs like “Nazi” and “nationalist.” Sinclair chief political correspondent Scott Thurman deleted a tweet alleging students in MAGA hats were “mocking” and “taunting” a Native American in front of the Lincoln Memorial in D.C., asking in a new tweet if the new video changed minds about the kids.
Anti-Trump activist Ed Krassenstein deleted a neutral tweet contemplating the intentions of Nick Sandmann, the young MAGA student accused of smirking at a Native American. His brother, Brian Krassenstein, deleted a tweet calling the students “bigoted.” The New Republic‘s Jeet Heer deleted a tweet arguing the MAGA hat-wearing teens were “racist.” CNN’s Bakari Sellers deleted a tweet suggesting the kids should be “punched in the face.”
And now, the school and its students are receiving death threats. In the midst of progressive mob activity, one student from Cincinnati, Ohio was misidentified as Nick Sandmann and was doxxed by the ghouls. The family of Michael Hodge has celebrated the wedding of his brother and had to deal with the fallout over the weekend. Andrew Hodge detailed the chaos on Twitter.
Holy hell this thread. Left-wingers doxxed, harassed and threatened a Covington student and his family -- which on its own is evil -- and to top it off it wasn't even the right kid. Wtf is wrong with people https://t.co/ST7pWsOnEC
— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) January 21, 2019
1) Yesterday was supposed to be a day of celebration for my middle brother Alex, who got married last night. Instead my family had to deal with the fallout of my youngest brother #MichaelHodge being falsely accused for standing & smiling in front of an indigenous man with a drum
— Andrew Hodge (@PikePlaceTechie) January 20, 2019
2) People then proceeded to spam my family with harassments and threats of physical violence. We then find out our parents address was posted online. If that wasn't enough, our family operated business has been slandered and attacked.
— Andrew Hodge (@PikePlaceTechie) January 20, 2019
3) No one reviews evidence or does any due diligence, they immediately escalate things to a state of frenzy over much of nothing. The zealots scream for the head of #MichaelHodge knowing that their will be zero consequences to them if anything happens to him
— Andrew Hodge (@PikePlaceTechie) January 20, 2019
4) My parents, uncles, & aunts, receive messages stating they are pieces of shit parents and won't be able to protect #MichaelHodge forever... seriously what kind of behavior is this?
— Andrew Hodge (@PikePlaceTechie) January 20, 2019
5) #MichaelHodge is the best kid I know. He volunteers for Special Olympics (took them skiing this Thursday) is involved in the church youth group, doesn't drink/smoke (volunteer member of the Drugs Free Club of America) and is an aspiring chef
— Andrew Hodge (@PikePlaceTechie) January 20, 2019
6) People then started circulating articles of him regarding his dreams and goals of being a chef, finds the college he plans on attending and proceed to blow them up encouraging them to rescind offer and calling him a racist POS...
— Andrew Hodge (@PikePlaceTechie) January 20, 2019
7) You reach out saying how "terrible" of a family we are, defame us, threaten us, and you know nothing about us. Yet you circulate the information and spam us like it is the only "truth" that has ever existed in your lives
— Andrew Hodge (@PikePlaceTechie) January 20, 2019
8) You condemned my parents for being horrible role models, yet you jumped to conclusions and were ready to string up an innocent dude? Is that what you are teaching your children/family? I sure hope not....
— Andrew Hodge (@PikePlaceTechie) January 20, 2019
9)It saddens me people have nothing better to do on Saturday then scour the internet for drama & then dig up info on a family & rile up an army to attack them.Hold yourselves to a higher standard, set a better example for your sphere of influence, we will all be better off for it
— Andrew Hodge (@PikePlaceTechie) January 20, 2019
And now the police have to be stationed on their campus due to the death threats:
BREAKING: Covington Catholic High School says they’ve been forced to work closely with local police and authorities to make sure that the staff and students are safe following serious death threats made against several students, their families and the schools principal.
— BNL NEWS (@BreakingNLive) January 21, 2019
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