Snapchat video shows local teens putting on dark face paint, saying N-word; school district promises swift action

ByLeo Stallworth and ABC7.com staff KABC logo
Thursday, June 27, 2019
Snapchat video shows local teens using dark face paint, saying N-word
A racist video shows local teens putting on dark face paint and using racial slurs. Now, a school district is promising a swift response.

LANCASTER, Calif. (KABC) -- A local school district is promising a swift response to a racist video getting a lot of attention in the Antelope Valley.

The video shows a group of teenagers from Quartz Hills High School saying the N-word and putting dark face paint or dark makeup on another person's face.

The video has been shared thousands of times on social media.

The Antelope Valley Union High School District released this statement, in part:

"We were recently made aware of a social media video showing a group of teenagers exhibiting deeply offensive, and inexcusable racist behavior. This runs counter to the District's core values of integrity, respect for the individual, diversity, and community. We are working on identifying those in the video, while including our law enforcement partners, and will take action as deemed appropriate. We strive to provide a culture of inclusivity and kindness. We ask all parents, students and community members to share our commitment to compassionate and kind conduct both on and off campus."

Katelin Sandoval and Ashani Shackelford said they know some of the students in the video and have never been given any indication in the past that they were racist. That's why the girls say they were shocked to see students they know in a video that was very offensive to many people.

"It made me mad because we learn about this stuff in school, and they should know that it's wrong," said Shackelford.

A parent of one of the students seen in the video was in tears when she spoke with Eyewitness News. She said she knows her child did something insensitive and stupid but that her child is not at all racist. She said her family has gotten death threats since the video hit social media, and they are now in hiding.