A white man in Fresno, California, reportedly called 911 after a verbal confrontation with three teenage Black girls inside a gated community, ABC7 News reports.
Fred Veenendaal — a principal at Sunnyside High School in Fresno — said he was calling the police on April 16 following a confrontation with three Black girls — 17-year-old Kyra Schrubb, 17-year-old Bri’janae Lewis and a friend as they cut through the neighborhood on their way to the store.
The girls began recording Veenendaal as he made a phone call and one of the teens is heard saying that he was harassing them.
“We didn’t even do nothing, so we recording you right now. You know that’s harassment, right?”
After Veenendaal responded by saying, “No it’s not,” he is heard calling the three teenagers “ghetto.”
“Officers, you got three girls here,” he said. “Three Section 8 people here, ghetto girls.”
Veenendaal also held up his phone as if he was also recording the three teenagers.
The high school principal is also heard telling the teens that he is on the gated community’s board of directors. Kyra’s mom told the outlet that her daughter and her friends often take a shortcut through the gated community because it cuts 10 minutes off of their walk to the store. She added that the teens have access because they have a friend living in the gated community.
Kyra told the outlet that Veenendaal was being racist for no reason.
“You didn’t have to do all that, you didn’t have to racial profile for no reason,” she said. “I feel so bad because like as a Black woman, I should be able to walk, you know, and do, just walk peacefully without, you know, people being racist for no reason.”
“Why would you even say some stuff like that? We’re minors,” added Bri’janae. “I hope he gets fired. He gotta go.”
The girls said that the police never showed up, and it’s unclear if Veenendaal actually called the authorities. The teens learned that Veenendaal was a principal at the high school after posting the video on TikTok.
Fresno Unified said that they are investigating the incident.
“We are aware of the video circulating, and the district started an investigation into the matter early Monday. The labels used in the video do not align with the high standards we have for our Fresno Unified leaders and staff,” read the statement. “We want to assure our families that having respectful, inclusive, and loving adults serving in our school is of the utmost importance to Sunnyside and our district as a whole.”
Veenendaal is currently on paid administrative leave while the school district investigates, according to district spokesperson Nikki Henry.
“While we are investigating,” said Henry. “The staff member in the video is not working with students.”
It is still unclear if the teenagers are students in the FUSD school district, according to Henry.
“That’s part of our investigation.”
I feel this racist animal should be terminated at the very least he harassed minors the section 8 talk about there status was very prejudice how does he feel about the students that attend this school. I don’t feel upon him making these statements or causing these actions that he should be allowed to be around African American students. And as a an adult we owe a lot more to our future leaders than negative insulting from a time we’d like to leave in the past. Fire him and press charges
This Is Sad,He Should Be Fired!!!!!!!!!To Call These Young Queens Section 8 People Is Just Ignorant.I Don’t Think He Was Actually Calling The Police,I Believe He Just Wanted To Say These Things To Them.Thats The Reason The Police Never Came.The Way He Acted Clearly He’s The Section 8 And Ghetto Person!!!! He Shouldn’t Be Around Any Students At All Especially African American Students.
People in any position of health, education, or any position that is of interest for all people should be above this type of thinking and behavior. Here we are in 2023 and people still are acting as if it is before the Civil War here in U.S.A. People before you act as a idiot first think how you would feel if someone treated that way. Tell me what does the Statue of Liberty stand for. No race is better than any other race in God Jehovah eyes.
People in any position of health, education, or any position that is of interest for all people should be above this type of thinking and behavior. Here we are in 2023 and people still are acting as if it is before the Civil War here in U.S.A. People before you act as a idiot first think how you would feel if someone treated that way. Tell me what does the Statue of Liberty stand for. No race is better than any other race in God Jehovah eyes.
Dont be surprised or saddend, he is just acting on his true nature.
The ongoing effects of redlining. The man is not exceptional – just following the system set up by white realtors in the 1920s. Still ought to be fired though, given his position. People like him should work against racism instead of furthering it.
These kind of devil’s need to be charged with a crime or something to teach them a lesson that this evil is not tolerate tolerate no more like there ancestors were able to treat so called African American people this person is demonic to do that in a time as now wth is he to think and do that he need to be charged and fired from being able to be around so called African American kids and people intirally not in authority
Not surprised at all , Trump unleashed these white folks true Nature. If it was my child I would give him a reason to call me Ghetto after I was finish whooping his ass. For all we know he is on Section 8. That was not only racist but very disrespectful to kids. I want to and pray I run up on someone like this coward
So sad you have people thinking this way in 2023.
Section 8 or not, if anyone has a roof over their heads and not sleeping on the streets is a blessing!! GATED COMMUNITY or not doesn’t make one person better than the next. When one dies you won’t be remembered for living in gated community. You better hope you don’t enter in the gates of hell after making such a racist comment
I live in Fresno and not far from Sunnyside HS. The last time I saw the stats the minority student numbers there were over 90% so frankly, I’m very surprised that he accepted the position when offered in light of his obvious distaste for diversity. His relationship with the students there is clearly no longer sustainable – Clovis Unified right next door is definitely more up his alley so maybe they’ll have something for him. Living and working in that sort of a position of trust in the San Joaquin Valley is going to present its issues going forward for him though, because we are nothing if not diverse.
I fought for this great country for the racist in this country. Don’t blame him blame his parents his parents made him who the f*** he are his grandparents made his pareit’s a cycle that’s been going on since the creation of this magnificent country I love this country I just hate the fact that racism still exists 2 centuries after the Civil War. It’s a shame and it’s sad that these people are in high profile positions they are to teach see you can depend on them because they have hidden agendas and it is hatred for anyone that does not have their skin tone I’m used to it but what I would like the most it’s the run across that races and let him tell me that I am ghetto I guarantee you that would be the last word that he ever say I will knock all his teeth out to the point where he can’t even get dentures
I agree “trump unleashed this old/new racism. Before him, racists were being phony and smiling in your face,in California at least, and saying their favorite line “I’m not racist “ “I have black friends” yotta yotta yotta as soon as trump hit the playground they all came out and showed and still showing their real selves. This is who they were when they came home from work at home. Now they figure they have the privilege to be open about their racism
Actually they look low class ( her edges are terrible )and should not be abusing their friends gate pass to save time walking. Not your neighborhood. Redlining? Next you will be saying slavery caused all this. Enough of this racist nonsense started by Obama and pushed by sleepy Joe Biden. Right. The homeowner was just protecting his property value and should not be fired
So first I wanna the goofy probably grown a** man name truth hurt. U beginning addressing a situation where u clearly yourself is racist u talking about that baby (edges) when clearly that not at all the importance of the video these kids was racially profiled. U sit there and think of more racist sh** thinking you’re right and you’re wrong. Black people been through a lot in the last 5 century. It seems this situation will never change but we can start changing it what goofy a** comments that posted.you and praise that man for his abusive behavior and abusive action. It already sad that our black kids is dying at a certain age due to gun violence. Next time u feel like you should comment do me a favor don’t. Black lives matter
He should be fired, because he is a grown man harassing children and a school administrator, he should know better than to talk to children in that manner, but as we know in America when you are white you think you only have to respect white people and that is what racist cowards do act an a** to children old people or women. FRWP