Students accused of mock-lynching with black dolls

By

Posted 8:29AM on Tuesday, October 8, 2002

VALDOSTA - Relatives of some black students are irate over a mock-lynching on school grounds of several Barbie dolls painted black. At least three white students were suspended after the dolls with nooses around their necks and were found hanging from a ceiling last Wednesday. Several students also reported to their parents that the letters KKK were written on walls. ``My son was afraid to come home and tell me for fear that doing so might get things stirred up,'' said Cynthia Turner, whose 17-year-old son and nephew go to Lowndes High. Turner said the incident should have been labeled a hate crime. She said recent news reports of students killing other students at schools should have forced Lowndes County school officials to administer a harsher punishment than suspension. Superintendent Steve Smith said Monday the students were suspended for five days last week for violating a provision of the discipline code that deals with school disturbances. ``I don't know whether these students thought it was a prank or what,'' Smith said. ``It was simply inappropriate and immature behavior on their part.'' Smith said he defines a hate crime as an act involving some sort of physical injury. ``They used poor judgment. I have seen students do some pretty bad things over the years. However, that does not make them bad people,'' the superintendent said. Smith did not disclose where in the school the dolls and graffiti were found. A group of black students took the dolls down and brought them to the front office, and the students who were responsible were dealt with that afternoon, he said. Linda Buford, who has a niece and nephew at the school, said it was ``scary, and I want something done about it.'' ``I plan on taking this one step further. I want everyone to know what's going on out here,'' Buford said. A spokesman for the FBI in Valdosta said the office had not received a complaint Monday.