A 16-year-old teen could be facing assault charges related to a hate crime committed in Santaquin on Jan 17, the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
According to witnesses, 13-year-old Jordan Henson, an African-American teen from Santaquin, was followed off of his bus after school by the older teen and attacked.
Henson says that the other boy frequently uses derogatory racial names towards him on the bus. On the day of the attack, Henson says he was repeatedly called racial slurs by the boy. The boy then followed Henson off the bus, shoved him, and punched and kneed him in the face until he was bloody.
In his account of what happened, Henson then went home to clean up. His mother, Brenda Henson, says she thought it was a normal school fight at first, but came to the conclusion that it was something more serious after hearing what happened.
“He’s been called racial names by this kid all year long,” said Jordan’s mother. “Jordan usually ignores him because he’s scared of him.”
The Henson family is hoping to enhance the charges against the 16-year-old assailant to hate crime related charges. Brenda Henson says this was definitely “a racial hate crime.”
Santaquin Police Detective Stan Eggen says there are no hate crime charges that can be filed in the state of Utah, but there are enhancements to the existing charges that can be made regarding the hate crime factors. Eggen told inSantaquin News that the case is going before the Fourth District Juvenile Court.
Jordan Henson and his mother Brenda | photo by Mike Swan
The suspect’s parents were not able to be contacted over the weekend to make a statement, but ABC4 News reports that the mother of the suspect says the altercation between the two boys puts them both at fault. “It was both of them. They both threw remarks. And unfortunately my son was older and didn’t know how old the kid was,” said the mother. -> ABC4 Story
Jordan’s mother responded to those statements, “If Jordan did fight back, I’m sorry. I’m sorry if he said something back to you but he did not deserve that.” According to Brenda Henson, the name-calling has been going on for a year now. “He calls my son chocolate, chocolate boy…We can’t allow this to happen to anyone, these kids are being bullied and they’re afraid to get on the bus because they’re scared.”
Upon investigation of the suspect’s Facebook page, the profile picture appears to be one of the suspect displaying a gang sign with his fingers in the shape of the letters “W” and “P”. In the information portion of his page the only thing written there is, “were white power.” Another picture, taken from the suspect’s Facebook profile, shows him with his arms crossed in front of him, “White Boy” is scrawled in ink across his forearms.
Photo from suspect's Facebook profile of possible gang sign
Jordan’s mother feels racism is a problem that is not being dealt with properly in the area. “(Racism) is a bigger problem, it’s just that nobody knows until it’s on their front door,” she said. “Until your family is a part of it, you don’t understand. You think, ‘well I never hear it’, well you wouldn’t, cause you’re not the person having it thrown at you.”
Payson Jr. High School, where Jordan attends, has a racial minority population of 14.4 percent. When asked if racial tension is a problem in Payson schools, Nebo District Coordinator of Student Services, Everett Kelepolo, says it’s not a common issue.
“As far as the district is concerned, there have not be many incidents as far as hate crimes are concerned. We deal with gangs, we deal with a lot of other things,” said Kelepolo. “We know they exist; I don’t think anyone can say that they don’t exist.”
Because there is a chance many of the verbal altercations between Jordan and his assailant may have taken place on campus or on Nebo School District buses, Kelepolo says the district could get involved in the case.
“We just want to make sure everyone is safe in our district,” he said.
Brenda Henson feels the other kids in her community are not safe while the boy that attacked her son is on the street. “We can’t allow this to happen to anyone,” said Henson. “These kids are being bullied and they’re afraid to get on the bus because they’re scared.”
More information on this case to come, including an interview with a witness. Stay tuned to inSantaquin News for updates.
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Know one deserves to be treaated thie way. My prayers go out to the Henson family. Judy Vincent
This breaks my heart! As a mother of bi-racial children I can relate to the pain this family is experiencing. My children also attended school in the Nebo School District. My two oldest experienced continued racial degradation. Eventually, they both left school in their high school years and sought out alternative educational options. I will never forget the day my son said to me, “I do not go to school to be called a N_ _ _ _ R! I go to school to get an education.” This was after years and years of torment. In Junior High there were several incidents that a child should never have to experience. On one occasion, as my vehicle was surrounded by up to 100 Junior High kids, I sat there, helpless, as I heard my children called every racial name you can imagine. I called into the school for assistance and a female secratary came out to tell the kids, “Hey, we don’t talk like that.” I noticed a gentleman standing against the school, maybe 50-60 yards away, and asked my daughter who the man was. She informed me it was the principal!! He did nothing! This same behavior continued every day for a week, with the police involved and everything. Nothing was done. When I called in and spoke with the principal the following day, I asked if there was a policy regarding racism. I was told, “Oh yes, we do not tolerate it!” Really??? I went to Nebo School District and asked the same question and received the same remark. They could never provide this “so-called policy” in writing. The mother of the kid in this story who was older and who was the aggressor, cannot honestly say, ““It was both of them. They both threw remarks. And unfortunately my son was older and didn’t know how old the kid was,”” and think this is an excuse for his behavior. Clearly, the Facebook pictures are evidence of much more. My experience is this behavior is learned at home!!! My heart goes out to the Henson family, and especially to Jordan. DO NOT tolerate or accept this behavior. It has to stop now! Wake up parents!!! And as a state, Utah also needs to wake up and realize racism IS a problem.
I hope that this will wake everyone up to our local racism.