A Black elementary school teacher in Nebraska says he was attacked by an angry mob of white teenagers and believes the assault was racially motivated.
According to WOWT in Lincoln, Neb., Jeremy Williams, who works as a school teacher during the day, was working his side job as a Lyft driver one night, when a pickup truck full of teens descended pulled up next to his car while he was waiting for his passenger to show up.
Upon seeing him in the vehicle, one of them peered in and allegedly asked, “What are you doing here?”
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In an attempt to keep things levelheaded, Williams simply responded that he was a driver picking up a client, to which the teen then responded, “You don’t look like you belong here.”
“Is it my glasses that make me look like I don’t belong here? Is it my new car wash? Is it – I don’t know what it is besides that I am in the neighborhood and I am black,” Williams told WOWT.
Soon after they approached him, the group hopped out of their truck and started beating on Williams car. When he tried to pull over to the other side of the street, the principal says even more teens appeared and continued the assault to his vehicle with him still in it. Fearing for his safety he opted to keep his windows rolled up while the car continued to be pummeled by the angry mob.
According to the report, “Williams called 911, and when he saw an opening, drove away, following the dispatcher’s instruction to meet with an officer at a gas station a short distance away.”
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When responding officers returned to the neighborhood where the incident took place, they interviewed seven teens between the ages of 16 and 17. The minors all attempted to shift blame and say Williams initiated the confrontation. While local police are still investigating the incident they have yet to determine if it will be labeled a hate crime.