At this point, the year it is doesn’t change the fact that hate is flourishing more than ever in this country.
In a report from NOLA.com, a Kentucky man named Brian Adams (not the singer) allegedly barged into a Jefferson Parish public school’s virtual classroom lesson, hurling violent and racist insults at fifth-grade students of Laureate Academy Charter School in Harvey. Yes, fifth graders.
The article also shares that Adams posted an online video of the intrusion last year.
On the morning of Oct. 14, 2020, Adams allegedly accessed the session without permission and told the majority Black classroom, “You all are a bunch of dirty n****s,” prosecutors wrote in documents filed at New Orleans’ federal courthouse this month. He is also accused of saying, “I am gonna hang you by the tree,” while students covered their eyes and ears in fear.
Adams was promptly booted from the room but returned after logging into the new Zoom created and continued the abuse before being permanently removed. As a result of the “Zoombombing,” along with attempts from others targeting the school, Laureate Academy canceled classes the rest of that day and the next two. Students would later notify administrators of a YouTube video showing Adams’ hurling his racial rhetoric at the young kids on a page called “Arch angel gaming,” and contained footage of Google searches for images of swastikas.
The 21-year-old from Paintsville, Kentucky, has been accused of using the handle “alex jones” to intimidate people of color. According to prosecutors, Adams’ father’s home in Paintsville was raided on Nov. 3 and had various electronics seized, and was questioned by authorities. Adams, who purportedly confessed to stealing more than $1,000 worth of computer equipment by using stolen Best Buy rewards points.
Adams is suspected of interference with federally protected activities, threatening interstate communications, and wire fraud. Those crimes can carry time from one year up to 20 years if convicted.