Honors students at Oxon Hill High School were asked to create an art project depicting what social justice meant to them.
The projects were then put on display in the school lobby, but on Monday, it was taken down because many people felt that it was offensive.
The display shows a white police officer reading an obituary section while standing next to the image of a black man, with bloodstains on his shirt and with his hands raised.
Watch a full report on the controversial decision below:
“People, black males in specific, are getting killed off a lot by police and it’s happening more often,” said former student Kiana Harris.
“Was it the right choice to take it down?” FOX 5’s Matt Ackland asked another woman. “I think so. I think so,” she said.
“It’s honestly what the kids think. It’s what they see, man. And it’s pretty much what they feel,” said resident Dwayne Shafer.
On Tuesday night after the project was taken down, people who supported the students’ right to display their art generated a #don’ttakeitdown hashtag on Twitter.
However, since then, the school has released the following statement: “While we encourage this type of evaluation, expression and analysis in our school district, we also strive to foster a civil and respectful culture.”