Parents say racist threats on the rise at San Francisco schools
SAN FRANCISCO -- A number of Black leaders in San Francisco say there is an outbreak of racism in the city. The NAACP held a special meeting at Third Baptist Church Sunday to hear about children facing racist attacks at school.
Paulette Brown has been fighting fiercely for her children and grandchildren for most of her life. In 2006, her only son was murdered in San Francisco and she is still looking for justice. Now she's battling what she feels is racism within the S.F. Unified School District.
"What do we do about this school district that's continuing to fail our children?" Paulette Brown asked.
Brown says her grandson Marcus Ross was kicked off a play structure and had to transfer schools for his safety.
"Our children are being left behind. Our grandchildren are being left behind and we're tired of it. We shouldn't have to fight like this," Brown said.
Other families had similar stories to share.
"He was unfortunately approached by an adult man who threatened him," one father recounted. "Threatened to do physical harm to him, threatened him with knives and this was done in front of the principal."
The president of the San Francisco chapter of the NAACP says this is the fifth complaint about a racially motivated attack at schools he's heard about in the past three months.
"We have lost over 40,000 Black people from this city since 1970 and it's because of subtle and sometimes overt bigotry and racial attacks," Rev. Brown said.
People at this meeting say it's bittersweet to know they are not alone.
"It's just so much on us and we don't have a lot of support," Paulette Brown said. "So with this happening and all coming together as one, maybe we can get somewhere."
There is talk of possibly filing a class-action lawsuit against the district. Parents say it's critical to effect change to ensure their kids can grow and learn at school without fearing for their safety.