- Sep 2, 2008
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Philly school's racial tensions lead to fights | ajc.com
Thoughts?
PHILADELPHIA Tensions between black and Asian students at a public high school erupted in a series of assaults over two days, leading to 10 suspensions and several students seeking medical treatment.
Asian students at South Philadelphia High School say two off-campus fights and a lunchroom attack left them feeling unsafe and helpless, in part because they say school security guards often turn a blind eye.
More than a dozen teens skipped school Friday to share their concerns at a news conference with adult advocates
The school, with some 1,200 students, is 70 percent black and 18 percent Asian. It serves mostly low-income neighborhoods south of downtown and has been labeled "persistently dangerous" by the state, based on the number of safety incidents reported.
Wei Chen, president of the school's Chinese-American Student Association, said the attacks stem from bullying over cultural differences and Asian students' poor English.
Accounts of the incidents differ.
Golden said a fight broke out Wednesday after school "involving a small group of students" about a block off-campus. He said a black teenager suffered minor injuries. Asian students say a Vietnamese teen was attacked by more than a dozen teens.
Amina Velazquez, a 17-year-old senior who is black and Puerto Rican, said the school is being tarnished by a few.
She also said Asian students tend to stay within their own groups, making it hard to get to know them.
"We just need to get them out of their shells more often," she said.
Velazquez, a member of the school's student government, suggested that if Asian students participated in more activities, they would be further integrated into the school community. She noted that for some, language barriers make interaction difficult.
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