The son of Ethiopian immigrants was bullied and called the N-word by an Alabama-based Boy Scout group while on a week-long camping trip in Georgia last month.
According to AL.com, the 14-year-old boy was part of Boy Scouts Troop 10 from Johns Creek, Ga., which happened to be camping next to Troop 76 from Vestavia Hills, Ala. when the incident occurred in mid-June.
The mother of the bullied boy, as well as others present, confirms that her son was called racial epithets, and had stones thrown at him in a blatantly racist incident.
However, the scoutmaster for Troop 76, says the incident has been overblown.
“Things happen at camp,” Dr. Rob Spiegel said. “There’s a lot of misinformation.”
He denies any rocks were thrown, but could not confirm whether racial epithets were said.
“We have African-American kids in our own group,” Spiegel said. “I don’t think it’s a story. I’ve seen a lot worse things happen at camp.”
The Boy Scouts of America has yet to speak out against the incident. But one mother whose son witnessed the racist incident did speak up.
“It upsets me that this is that boy’s summer camp memory,” said Leanne Potts, a parent whose son is in Troop 10 with the teen who was bullied.
“The members of Troop 76 had thrown rocks,” Potts confirmed.
Last year, President Donald Trump made a heavily political speech at the Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree.
“Boy Scout values are American values,” Trump said at the 2017 National Jamboree in West Virginia. “As the Scout law says, a scout is trustworthy, loyal. We could use some more loyalty, I will tell you that.”