'This is a hate crime': Utah teens slammed for blackface and prison attire for Halloween
CEDAR CITY, UTAH: A bunch of white teens from Utah has been slammed for an alleged 'hate crime' after they were seen donning blackface and wearing prison attire for Halloween. The teens, who were smiling in the viral TikTok video, infuriated many on social media.
The video shows three boys with their hands and faces painted black and a fourth from the group was seen wearing a mock police uniform. The boy apparently gathered at a Walmart in Cedar City. A voice from behind the camera can be heard saying in the TikTok video, "You guys are not going to get into a college. You guys are not going to get any scholarships, because this is a hate crime." One of the teenagers responded by saying it didn't matter because they didn't attend school. "We all dropped out of high school, it's OK," the teen chuckled and said. The woman behind the camera, however, replied, "I still don't think it's appropriate for you guys to be doing this. It's really not funny."
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Several other TikTok users recorded duets with the original video which was posted by @thebrownestsugar, one of which has received approximately 5.8 million views since Tuesday, even though the original TikToker's video is now private.
One user reacted to the 'dropping out of high school' comment and said, "'We all dropped out of high school it's okay.' Well, that explains a lot." Another person calling their outfit "out of context" wrote, "I mean out of context it looks like they are prisoners who just finished mining coal, hope that's what they went for 🤷♂️." Another individual wrote, "People cease to understand that there is literally No reason to [wear] this as a costume. This is traumatic for so many."
Social media users also condemned the parents of the teenagers for letting them leave the house in inappropriate clothing. One user sarcastically said, "It's all in the upbringing. their parents must be so proud" while another added, "We all know their parents were taking pictures and laughing, no punishments."
The viral video resulted in Utah Governor Spencer Cox releasing a statement on Tuesday, November 1. He stated, "We strongly condemn racism in all its forms and we call on every Utahn to reject such offensive stereotypes, slurs and attitudes. We must do better," reported KSL.com.
Disclaimer: This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.