Gurnee Youth to Appear in Court Today
By Chip MitchellGurnee Youth to Appear in Court Today
By Chip MitchellLake County prosecutors are set to arraign a Warren Township High School senior Tuesday for what he allegedly told two classmates of color.
Chicago Public Radio’s Chip Mitchell reports.
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Gurnee police charged Curtis Hiett, 17, with disorderly conduct last month. They say he made racist comments and displayed a Confederate flag and a hangman’s noose in his car.
Reported noose sightings have increased nationally in recent months following an outcry over a case in the Louisiana town of Jena. To many, the noose symbolizes the segregation-era lynching of thousands of African Americans.
Hiett apologized at a school board meeting two weeks ago. But State Representative Eddie Washington of nearby Waukegan says that’s not enough.
WASHINGTON: This young man needs some sensitivity training by a minority team of people…
…and community service, he says.
Hiett’s family didn’t respond to our calls yesterday.
Police in South Elgin, meanwhile, say they lack evidence to file charges in a noose incident at a Home Depot under construction.
I’m Chip Mitchell, Chicago Public Radio.