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BROOKHAVEN, Miss. – The portrayal of a policeman detained at gunpoint at the half-time of a high school group is fueling anger in a Mississippi town where two police officers were recently killed.
Images of the Forest Hill High School group's performance circulated on social media on Saturday, showing students disguised as medical personnel holding SWAT team members under threat of arms.
The performance took place on Friday during a football game between Forest Hill and Brookhaven High School, a few days after the death of two Brookhaven officers as they reacted to reports that shots were reported to have occurred. been shot against a house.
Errick L. Greene, superintendent of Jackson Public Schools, apologized Saturday in a statement and acknowledged that the skit was "insensitive".
Greene said the performance was loosely based on the movie "John Q" and described a hostage scene that included toy guns.
In the film, a father portrayed by Denzel Washington kidnaps hospital staff and patients while he tries to force doctors to perform a vital transplant on his son, a procedure that his insurance will not cover. not.
"JPS has a lot of respect and appreciation for our law enforcement partners," Greene said. "The group's performance did not reflect the values and members of our community and was incredibly insensitive to students, families, law enforcement and the wider Brookhaven community. For that, we sincerely apologize to everyone and we are committed to doing better in the future ".
Brookhaven Mayor Joe Cox said he spoke to Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, who informed him that the director of the Forest Hill Band had been placed on administrative leave pending a investigation.
He added that the mayor had personally apologized for the halftime show.
"I offer my sincerest regrets to the Brookhaven community for the insensitivity that has been (described) at the half-time show on Friday night.
There is an active investigation into the circumstances that led to this performance, "Lumumba said in a statement on Saturday.
"It is the responsibility of adults to help young people. Our students should have been informed that this was neither the time nor the place for this performance. "
Brookhaven is about 55 miles south of Jackson, the state capital.
Governor Phil Bryant, in a post on Twitter, said that someone should be held responsible.
"It's unacceptable in a civilized society," he said.
The Mississippi Department of Education issued a statement Saturday stating: "This performance was tasteless and unresponsive, and we expect better from our teachers and school leaders to guide the students appropriately, "said Jackson's Clarion Ledger.
Republican Senator Sally Doty of Brookhaven wrote on Facebook that she would be filing a complaint with the Jackson Public Schools, Forest Hill High School and the Mississippi High School Activities Association.
"How can an administrator think this half-time program is appropriate?" Wrote Doty.
Angela Hill, from Republican State Senator Picayune, wrote in response to Doty's message: "No sense. File on. War of culture. "
Many people, in comments on Facebook, said they were shocked and outraged by the show.
Jackson City Councilor Melvin Priester Jr. said he spoke to the school board representatives about the situation.
"Why would any high school fan ever need fake guns?", He asked in an article on Facebook. "Have they done this routine all year? … If all goes as planned this morning, however, I will be disappointed, offended and sorry for the people of Brookhaven and the children of Forest Hill who deserved better than the adults around them. "
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