Rap Videos

You know, it’s not a crime to be an African American. Apparently, the school administration of Colerain High School thinks otherwise. On April 10, 2014, four African American teenagers were expelled from Colerain High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. The parents filed a lawsuit against the Ohio School District, charging violation of free speech and constitutional rights. The school administration accused teenagers of representing “street signs” in the rap videos that the teenagers made outside of school.

The four students called themselves the “Money Gang,” but they are part of a rap group. The school administration did not say much of what was in the videos. They have said that there were gang signs in the video, which were made off school grounds. Parents of the boys wanted the district to erase the expulsion off the student’s records and welcome them back into the school, and eventually won the case. Before the situation with the boys, rumors were spread on social media that there was going to be a shooting at the school. Cincinnati police officers arrived at the school and parents picked up their children because of the threats.

On September 2nd, the boys were part of an news conference. The boys were detained by school officials once again for suspected gang activity. The school district lawyer, John Concannon, said that the boys were disciplined because they threatened student. Robert Newman, who represented the boys, said, “there were no direct physical threats. They’re trying to move off the real reason why we’re here and why the lawsuit was filed.

Our clients here did not physically threaten anybody else at the school. One of the students was alleged during his suspension and expulsion hearing to have called a female student a nasty name and to have made a frowning face at a school staff member.” The story is still developing, and there is no word yet on who won this case. ?