Thread by @mehdirhasan

1) I've tweeted already about why the contrition & apologies towards the #Covington kids is misplaced and wrong. But their Trump-inspired racism & bullying is not new - we've seen this in schools across the country since Trump's emergence in 2015. Here's some evidence:
*THREAD*

2) In March 2016, high school basketball fans in Indiana chanted ‘Build A Wall’ at their Latino opponents.
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/andrean-h…

3) In April 2016, in Wisconsin, a girls soccer team, a majority of which were black and Latina, were taunted by opposing students who chanted: “Donald Trump, build that wall".
nydailynews.com/news/national/…

4) In November 2016, a group of Texas students wearing Trump/Pence signs and wearing wigs, trucker hats and fake mustaches at a high school volleyball game chanted “Build that wall” at their Latino opponents:
washingtonpost.com/news/early-lea…

5) In November 2016, days after Trump's win, seventh graders at a middle school in Michigan began chanting "build the wall" at Latino classmates, who were said to have cried during the incident.
abc7chicago.com/news/video-stu…

6) In January 2017, students and fans chanted "ashy knees" at a black player for Dover as he shot free throws during Friday's game, and fans chanted "build the wall" while the opposing team, which has several Latino players, warmed up.
nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Rac…

7) In February 2017, students at a high school in western Pennsylvania yelled chants including “Build that wall!” and “Get them out of here!” at black high school basketball players:
pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2017/02/10/bla…

8) In March 2017, high school basketball players in Connecticut taunted black and Latino members of an opposing team with chants of “Trump! Trump! Trump!”
nypost.com/2017/03/02/sch…

9) In September 2018, a California high school hung up “Build the Wall” and "We Gonna Trump Ya" signs during a football game with a visiting majority-Latino high school:
latimes.com/local/educatio…

10) I could go on and on. Thankfully, if depressingly, the Southern Poverty Law Center (@splcenter) has collected horrific anecdotes and examples of racism and bullying inspired by Trump from schools, teachers and students across the country:
splcenter.org/20161128/trump…

11) One very recent study by academics, of 150,000 students across Virginia, found "higher rates of bullying and certain types of teasing in areas where voters favored Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election."

12) So, yes, the behaviour of Covington Catholic High School kids in DC was appalling and inexcusable (despite many conservatives and some liberal journos now trying to offer excuses). But it isn't an aberration, sadly. It's in danger of becoming the 'new normal'.
*ENDS*