Producer Dr. Dre may be going through a rough patch after having his ongoing divorce proceedings splattered across headlines, but a man in Texas just had what he described as the worst day “as a school principal” after allegedly comparing students, mainly Black, to the award-winning rapper.
The comment sparked outrage among parents who found the remark to be culturally insensitive.
Oak Ridge High School principal Anthony LiVechhi has issued an official apology after he was caught on video tape complaining about some of the students’ attire choices for a “90s Throwback Day” event at the school in Conroe, Texas, a suburb of Houston, KPRC 2 reported.
“It’s embarrassing. It’s frustrating,” LiVechhi could be heard telling students. “We have people posing for pictures looking like they’re Dr. Dre from the ’90s. I’m not sure that’s the look we’re going for. It doesn’t make our school look good.”
The incident reportedly took place on Thursday, Sept. 30, the same day the former N.W.A member was announced as one of many acts set to hit the stage at next year’s Super Bowl halftime show.
LiVechhi, still apparently upset by what he saw, reportedly went around the school telling people that it was his “worst day being principal because of the way that (students) dressed,” Neki Baker, the senior who recorded the faculty member, told the news outlet.
“(It’s) kind of downplaying on the way my mom and dad dressed when they were in school,” Baker added.
Student-athlete Trinidad Robinson, who runs track at the school, confirmed Baker’s statement. “I have some records for the school, and when we were walking by, he said y’all look like criminals,” Robinson said. “I’m like, how is us dressing and expressing predominantly ’90s and 2000s Black culture equated to being a criminal?”
Meanwhile, another student, Nia Dixon, a junior at the school, believes the comments were made to “bring us down” and “degrade the way we were dressing and degrade our school spirit.”
During a student-staged sit-in on Monday, Oct. 4, local civil-rights activist Quanell X and parents met with school officials to discuss the matter. About 100 students sat and kneeled in solidarity during the meeting.
LiVechhi later apologized for his remarks, telling students “I love you all.” He added, “That’s not how you need to be treated. It won’t happen again.”
Quanell X called the meeting a win for students, telling the outlet, “Those young children have a victory today because that principal did go before them and apologize for what he said and how he handled the situation.”
