Senior Prank Shows the Dangerous Impact of Donald Trump
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For months, Trump has promised to build a wall if elected. Last week, some students in North Carolina used their senior prank as an opportunity to actually do it.
On Wednesday night a group of 30 students at McDowell High School built a wall out of boxes and blocked off the entrance to part of their school's common area.
Facebook/McDowell High School - facebook.com
The students then took a picture of themselves posing in front of the wall and posted it to social media with the caption: "McDowell High School students get the award for best #studentsfortrump senior prank. THEY BUILT A WALL!! We are #students4trump #trump2016 #trump #maga #studentsfortrump #makeamericagreatagain #trump #trumptrain"
In the past, the GOP presidential candidate has vowed to clamp down on immigration, proposing a mass deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants and erecting a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to CNN.
Trump has claimed that undocumented immigrants take American jobs and cause spikes in crime, which ATTN: has previously debunked.
Although some students thought it was funny, other students found it offensive.
The wall was taken down before classes began on Thursday, but not before drawing accusations of racism, local news outlet WLOS News 13 reported.
"My Mom and Dad have done a lot for me," student Marta Guardian told WLOS News 13. "And other families do that too. But people seem to see them as bad people. That's why the wall at school, and the one Trump wants to build, is so offensive."
Others also rebuked the students' actions harshly.
Instagram/students4trump - instagram.com
Instagram/students4trump - instagram.com
Instagram/students4trump - instagram.com
Although social media generated negative comments, representative from the McDowell Country School systems, Brian Oliver, explained to WLOS News 13 that the photo itself was not inherently offensive.
"In viewing the actual photo and what took place, there's not anything offensive in the photo," Oliver said. "There was no offensive activity at the time. What became offensive or concerning was what took place on social media afterwards. So, it's hard for the school to have control or to take action against something that happened on social media that was outside school hours and outside any school network."
As a result, the students will not receive any disciplinary action, WLOS News 13 reported.
This isn't the first time Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric has influenced high school behavior.
As ATTN: reported back in February, minority basketball players from a high school in Iowa said that students from an opposing teams' cheering section heckled them by chanting Trump's name.
"We are all aware of racism," student Kevin Lopez told a local news outlet. "It's alive and well in small portions — but it's alive and well — and it's just hurtful to see that's what they resort to."
