Three charged with child cruelty after video of 12-year-old Atlanta boy who had the word ‘gay’ shaved into his head goes viral
$10,000 raised for 12-year-old victim of homophobic attack
Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news
Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent
Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent
Three adults have been charged with child cruelty after footage of a 12-year-old Atlanta boy being taunted and assaulted before having the word “gay” shaved into the side of his head with hair clippers went viral.
A clip of the disturbing incident was later posted to Instagram Live and widely shared, leading to a criminal investigation and an outpouring of shock among the Black community in Atlanta.
On the video, a man can be seen grabbing the child by his T-shirt while questioning him about his sexuality on the porch of a home.
When the boy doesn’t respond to the aggressive questioning, the man appears to hit the boy, pushing him onto the ground and then against a rail.
“You think I cut this in your head for no reason?” the man says before allegedly slapping the boy again.
The Atlanta Police Department said its Special Victims Unit began an investigation after being made aware of the video. They had been able to identify the property where the alleged assault took place with help from the public.
Lorkeyla Jamia Spencer, 19; Brittney Monique Mills, 35; and Jordan Jarrode Richards-Nwankwo, 18, are facing criminal charges in connection with the boy’s assault, police announced on Friday.
Both Ms Spencer and Ms Mills were charged with cruelty to children, and have had bond set at $40,000. Mr Richards-Nwankwo was charged with cruelty to children and battery involving family violence and has a bond of $50,000.
All three are in custody in Fulton County Jail.
The 12-year-old boy was removed from the home and has been placed with the Georgia Division of Family & Children Services.
Police withheld the relationship between the boy and the three people charged, to protect his privacy.
“The behavior in this social media post was difficult to watch and is absolutely unacceptable,” the Atlanta PD said in a statement.
“We are appreciative of the number of people who flagged this case with us and for those who provided information on the location where it took place.”
An Atlanta city council candidate and local activist from the district where the alleged assault took place said he had been left “heartbroken” after seeing the video pop up on social media last week.
Devin Barrington-Ward told local NBC affiliate WXIA he was moved to make contact with the boy as he had also suffered homophobic abuse.
“As a Black queer man, I have experienced some of the same homophobia and some of the same abuse by the hands of people that I love as a child,” he told the news station.
He has since met with the child and promised to provide him with ongoing support. He and Hope Giselle, a Miami-based Black trans activist, are raising money for the boy via an online fundraiser which had raised more than $10,000 by Monday afternoon, and a dragshow in Atlanta this Thursday.
“What I told him on the patio at his home is that you’re loved, we care for you, we got your back,”Mr Barrington-Ward told WXIA.
“I apologised because we didn’t create enough safe spaces to prevent this from happening.”