Indigenous Peoples March Washington, D.C.
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Video Of Kentucky Students Mocking Native American Man Draws Outcry
Updated at 3:00 p.m. ET
A crowd of students surrounds the Native American man, laughing and filming on cell phones. One boy, wearing a red Make America Great Again hat, stands just inches away from the man's drum, staring at him with a wide smile.
Nathan Phillips, an Omaha elder participating in the Indigenous Peoples March, keeps drumming and singing.
The jeers of the students – and Phillips' stoic response – were captured in a video that has sparked widespread criticism and drawn an apology from a Kentucky prep school and diocese.
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The students and Phillips had both converged in Washington, D.C., last Friday. The students, a group of boys from Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky, were there to attend the March for Life. Phillips had come for the first-ever Indigenous Peoples March, on the same day.
Videos show a number of young men and women, predominantly white, jumping, cheering and chanting, in a dense circle around Phillips. Many are wearing Trump paraphernalia, and some are wearing clothing associated with the Covington high school.
"I heard them saying, 'Build that wall, build that wall,' " Phillips says in another videoposted to social media, wiping away tears. "This is indigenous lands. You know we're not supposed to have walls here. We never did, for millenniums, before anyone else came here. We never had walls."
Covington Catholic High School, a private, all-male school located in Park Hills, Ky., issued a joint statement with the Diocese of Covington on Saturday, condemning the incident and saying it would investigate and "take appropriate action, up to and including expulsion."
"We extend our deepest apologies to Mr. Phillips," the school wrote. "This behavior is opposed to the Church's teachings on the dignity and respect of the human person."
Phillips, a well-known Native American activist, is a Vietnam veteran and a former director of the Native Youth Alliance, according to Native News Online.
He was singing the American Indian Movement anthem in front of the Lincoln Memorial, at the close of the march, The Washington Post reports. He says March for Life rally participants had taunted the indigenous crowd.
He told the Post he felt threatened and that the boys swarmed around him.
Another video appears to show Phillips approaching the large group of students. Phillips told MSNBC there was a small group of Black Israelites in the area, exchanging escalating racial taunts with the students, and that he walked in-between the two groups because he feared for the safety of the Black Israelites.
The incident drew condemnation from Native Americans and lawmakers. Darren Thompson, an organizer for the Indigenous Peoples Movement, which coordinated the march, said in a statement that the incident was "emblematic of the state of our discourse in Trump's America," echoing sentiments on social media and among organizers that the current administration's rhetoric has emboldened acts of harassment and racism.
"It clearly demonstrates the validity of our concerns about the marginalization and disrespect of indigenous peoples," Thompson wrote.
Another spokesperson for the march, Chase Iron Eyes, also placed the blame on President Trump.
"Conservative people are fearful now," he said, referencing the recent elections of the first two Native American women to serve in Congress, Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids. "Trump has riled up a reactionary voting block that reminds us that we are a nation founded on patriarchy, genocide and racism."
Haaland, who was elected to the House of Representatives last fall, also condemned the incident.
"This Veteran put his life on the line for our country," the Democrat from New Mexico wrote on Twitter. "The students' display of blatant hate, disrespect, and intolerance is a signal of how common decency has decayed under this administration. Heartbreaking."
Covington Mayor Joe Meyer, a Democrat, said footage was not representative of the core values of his town. "Videos of the confrontation are disturbing, discouraging, and — frankly — appalling," he wrote in a statement. "And they are rightfully inspiring a tidal wave of condemnation."
Organizers added that the march encompassed more than just that viral moment.
"The good news is, that connection to the sacred may have resonated with some of the Catholic youths," said Nathalie Farfan, another organizer, in a statement. "What is not being shown on the video is that the same youth and a few others became emotional because of the power, resilience and love we inherently carry in our DNA. Our day on those steps ended with a round dance, while we chanted, 'We are still here.' "
The march stemmed from the 2016-17 protest at Standing Rock over plans for an oil pipeline to cross Sioux Lands in North Dakota. Phillips was also a leader in that movement.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S MARCHSMIRKING MAGA HAT STUDENT RESPONDSTo Accusations of Harassment
1/20/19 -- The student who came face-to-face with Nathan Phillips has released a statement to the media about what he claims actually happened Friday. Nick Sandmann, a junior at Covington Catholic High School, says he and his classmates were waiting for their busses to arrive at the Lincoln Memorial when a handful of African-American protesters began shouting "hateful things" at the group of boys. Sandmann says that he and his classmates were given permission by their adult chaperones to sing their school spirit chants in response. At some point during this chanting, Sandmann says a separate group of protesters from the Indigenous People's March approached his group, and claims that Nathan Phillips then "waded" into the crowd with his drum. Other videos that have surfaced online appear to show Phillips doing exactly that.
Given that people are calling for the firing of a priest and the expulsion of students, I hope that the celebrity priests and media Catholics who expressed judgments on the basis of less evidence will speak out again if more evidence suggests that things were not so clear-cut.
Here is a video clearly showing that Nathan Phillips approached the students. On the basis of the evidence we now have, I believe that people who issued categorical and one-sided condemnations of the students should retract and apologize. pic.twitter.com/GxmXcMuQgC
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Sandmann says Phillips singled him out for some reason and walked right up to him ... and the clip that has since gone viral is what happened shortly after. Sandmann says he did not provoke Phillips, nor did he block him from going anywhere. He says he only smiled because he sensed Phillips and his group were trying to incite a larger confrontation, and he wanted to communicate that he wouldn't engage. Sandmann says he respects Phillips for his service as a Marine vet, but does not approve of his methods -- namely, getting in people's personal spaces. Sandmann also says he will be cooperating with his school's investigation into the matter. His full statement can be read below.
Just in: Statement of Nick Sandmann, Covington Catholic High School junior, about the event at the Lincoln Memorial:
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5:56 PM PT -- A spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington says the confrontation between a horde of Catholic high school boys and the Native American war vet is under investigation, adding that students could be expelled. In a statement, the spox says ... "We condemn the actions of the Covington Catholic High School students towards Nathan Phillips specifically, and Native Americans in general, Jan. 18, after the March for Life, in Washington, D.C. We extend our deepest apologies to Mr. Phillips. This behavior is opposed to the Church’s teachings on the dignity and respect of the human person."
A mob of MAGA hat-wearing teenagers swarmed around a Native American Vietnam veteran to harass and drown out his peaceful demonstration -- and the scene was tense.
The face-off went down Friday at the D.C. National Mall -- near Arlington National Cemetery -- where Omaha elder Nathan Phillips, who served in the Vietnam War, was drumming and singing toward the tail end of the Indigenous People's March.
According to local reports, a large group of men -- including many young boys who were wearing MAGA gear -- descended upon Phillips and began mocking him ... with one student getting right up in his face as he peacefully tried reciting his song.
What's depicted here is alarming ... many of the boys are mimicking Phillips' singing in a demeaning manner as they surround him and a few lingering marchers. As you can see, one of the boys stands face-to-face with Phillips with a smug grin on his face as he continues to drum.
Phillips addressed the altercation afterward in an emotional explanation of why he was singing, and how he internalized what had just happened to him. He explains how youth used to interact with elders, and how times have changed for the worse.
His name is Nathan Phillips. A Vietnam veteran. Here he speaks about the incident.
“I wish I could see that energy, of that mass of young men, making this country really, really, great... Helping those that are hungry.”
Video Via @LeMeTellUSumtin
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Fortunately, there are no reports of violence breaking out ... but it appears these kids were on the verge of something nefarious. Some of the boys have been reported as Covington Catholic High School students in Park Hills, KY. It's unclear why they were in D.C., but it's possible they were there in support of the March for Life, which took place the same day.
Students from Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky wearing #MAGA hats mocked an elder at the #IndigenousPeoplesMarch on the national mall. The Superintendent of Schools Diocese of Covington @supmikeclines was in DC with them.
Call the Catholic school at 859-491-2247
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Covington's website temporarily crashed Saturday as tons of people demanded answers from Principal Bob Rowe and other faculty. A communications rep for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington released a statement on the matter saying, "We are just now learning about this incident and regret it took place. We are looking into it."
Ironically, CCHS' mission statement reads ... "At Covington Catholic, our primary purpose is to embrace the gospel message of Jesus Christ in order to educate young men spiritually, academically, physically, and socially. With this focus, we are Building Minds and Living Faith."
We've reached out to Covington Catholic High School for comment ... it appears their phone line is busy, as calls are not going through.
Originally Published -- 1/19 at 11:06 AM PST
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