The fact that young blacks can use the vilest symbols of racial hatred as a mere joke on their own kind is evidence that racism is no longer truly pervasive or threatening. In order to find this kind of chain yanking in-your-face prank funny they must have considered their targets to be uptight, paranoid stuffed shirts. They knew that there would be a big knee jerk reaction.
If the kind of racism that those symbols represent existed to any great degree today, the kind that was once directed at blacks by people who were willing to kill to express that hatred, they would not have found any humor in it at all. In fact if that kind of racism still existed they would be well aware that such a prank might make them the direct target of it. But it is doubtful they would have thought of it at all. If the oppressin were there there would be a solidarity of the oppressed.
These boys are malcontents in the 1st degree and their actions were hateful to both blacks and whites in their hopes to see anger and passion aroused in everyone around them. It's a shame that public stocks are no longer in vogue so that both black and white students could jeer them and pelt them with rotten tomatos in the school commons.
But let's not compound their foolishness by calling it a 'hate' crime. There are foul thoughts enough to go around and sooner or later what you are thinking may be 'found out' and called a crime. (We know the real reason you listen to Rush Limbaugh!) ; )