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Two Colorado elementary students were subjected to racist comments and slurs during a city council meeting.
According to Denver 7, two Black children spoke at a Denver City Council meeting earlier this month, asking members for more classroom space.
An unidentified person referred to as a "Zoom-bomber" interrupted the students, launching a racist tirade against the girls. The Zoom bomber told the children to "go back to Africa" and used several racial slurs, including the N-word, before their microphone was muted.
In a statement, City Council President Jamie Torres condemned the incident.
“Last night, the Denver City Council endured a cowardly and racist 'Zoom-bomber' who interrupted our General Public Comment when two African American youth were speaking about their community needs,” Torres said. “The words were vile, as was the character of a person who would actively seek to say these words to two beautiful and courageous young girls.”
Denver city councilmembers Shontel Lewis, Sarah Parady, and Darrell Watson consoled the children following the incident.
“I think initially I was just shocked,” Lewis said. “But then I think my maternal instinct kicked in and I thought, oh my gosh, I need to get over to those babies.”
Torres said the city council is working with its technology team “to review logs and procedures and determine how the breach occurred, with the goal of preventing future incidents.”
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