Posted on 05/18/2005 3:29:13 PM PDT by BurbankKarl
WOODLAND HILLS - A series of fights broke out today at Taft High School ahead of a scheduled visit by Mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa, and school officials disputing claims by parents and students who said the brawls appeared racially motivated.
As many as 17 patrol cars and an LAPD helicopter were dispatched to the Ventura Boulevard campus about 10 a.m., a Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman said.
Taft Principal Sharon Thomas said there were three separate fights among ninth-graders lining up to take standardized tests in a multi-purpose room. Six students were detained for questioning and the others were sent to their home rooms, she said.
Sandra Torres, 18, a senior, said she saw a number of students hop a fence onto campus and run toward a group of students.
"They started beating up on anybody they came across. There must have been 50 people involved. Ten people were hurt with bloody noses (and) lying on the ground.
"It was a lot of violence," she said. "I was scared."
Thomas and Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Roy Romer said the fights were not between Latino and African-American students, despite what many students reported.
"It was a limited thing," Romer said. "It was not racial."
Villaraigosa, appearing with Romer during a news conference, reiterated district officials' comments that the violence was not racially motivated.
But Erika Robles, 17, a junior, said the fighting occurred between African-American and Latino students.
About 40 parents rushed to the campus, many of them called by students using cell phones.
Carletha Lee, whose nieces and nephews attend the campus, said the district and the mayor-elect were not being candid with parents.
"You can only stomach so much, the fact that (Villaraigosa) is downplaying a serious situation.... He wants to discount this as a simple fight between students. We clearly know this is not the case," she said.
The band played on and Romer already has his nose so far up it's a joke.
Make sure you read: Meet the new emperor of LA. Worth it. Jeff went to Taft. Lots of inner-city students bused in. Stabbings at the bus stop across the street. I'm just not surprised that this is happening. There's so much about the mayor-elect that would cause quite a riot between the Black and La Raza students.
Nice catch. This outa just about sink L.A. for good.
If they truly took out the trash, it might be worth it. No, they'll just move the trash into nice little piles and allow them to redistribute themselves days later.
Neighborhood shootings, Freeway shootings, rampant crime that is now vastly under-reported... no problem. Viva La Conquista...
Gracias Senor Boosh.
Pax Mexicana!
"Nothing to see here, move along.."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.