Over the weekend, a video filmed at George Floyd’s alma mater Texas A&M University depicting a young man using racial slurs who wants to “euthanize” Black people surfaced online. There are now calls for the university to publicly condemn the action.
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The Washington Post reports that over the weekend, a video posted to Twitter and Snapchat showed a man pointing to Black students who were playing basketball as the N-word. There was also a crude reference to Floyd who died last month after now-former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin held his knee on his neck.
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Floyd, whose death ignited global protests against police brutality, attended Texas A&M University at Kingsville from 1995 to 1997.
“We got them trying to be civilized a little bit; teaching them how to play basketball,” the man says. “And if they act up, we might have to euthanize these n—–s, just like the cop did that one.”
The university acknowledged the racist video in a statement.
The University is taking appropriate action to inform the individuals that their conduct is not consistent with the values and expectations of our community. Javelina Nation disavows racism and intolerance and is committed to a culture of inclusivity and respect. (2/2)
— Texas A&M-Kingsville 🐗💙💛 (@JavelinaNation) June 11, 2020
“We are aware that a video was filmed on our campus and has been shared on social media that features racist language and vile sentiments that are in stark contrast to our core values,” the university statement reads. “The University is taking appropriate action to inform the individuals that their conduct is not consistent with the values and expectations of our community.”
Sandra Jefferson, who worked at Texas A&M as police chief for 31 years, wanted the school to formulate a stronger response. Jefferson insisted a statement was not nearly enough given the content of the video.
“He was inciting violence,” said Jefferson, a community activist. “We can’t stop when things like this raise their ugly head.”
The Black Student Union wants the university to ban the man who filmed the video. BSU President Christen Williams said the person was recognized as having previously interacted with Black students, who make up 6% of the predominantly Latino university, while white students make up 17%.
“There is no room for this kind of racism on campus,” said Williams, 22, a senior business management major from New Orleans. “We had just had a George Floyd Black Lives Matter protest here. There was a lot of unity and love.”
Mikaira Rheubottom graduated from Texas A&M-Kingsville last year and wasn’t sure the racist video was a tipping point. She felt it explained her time at the school.
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“I don’t know why anyone was surprised at that video of that kid using the N-word and referring to us as apes. The history of Kingsville has been racist, along with the campus,” said Rheubottom, who is Black. “Despite the demographics of Kingsville being predominantly Black and Hispanic, racism clearly lurks.”
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