Putnam County Could Face Financial Peril Over Racist Videos
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
What will Putnam County resident taxpayers do when this county is sued for hundreds of millions of dollars (and likely will lose) after there has been a shooting in a Putnam County school? The residents will pay – and pay dearly – as their real estate taxes rise exponentially to pay the compensation to victims and their families.
Why would the county be sued? Perhaps because the county legislature and county police have apparently done little to adequately address the threats of shooting violence and racist attacks that have been seen in at least seven TikTok videos produced by several Putnam County high school students. Experience has shown that school shootings are commonly preceded by aberrant behavior such as this.
Hundreds of students have seen the videos, which have now been taken down from TikTok. But some bits are still available for viewing elsewhere. Police are sharing very little information. At a recent Putnam County Legislature meeting, the legislators largely professed ignorance and lack of awareness of the posting of these videos.
This is a credible threat to be taken seriously. The schools are not communicating with the public, the police are not communicating with the public and the legislature is in the dark. Until just this week, there has been no coverage by the local press.
There is no dispute that some high school students have produced and posted videos on the internet depicting racist rants and first-person shooter videos with people of color as the victims. This needs to be taken seriously and needs a light shined on it. Otherwise, there could be a high cost in human life as well as a high financial price.
Tom Pendleton
Putnam Valley
Examiner Media – Keeping you informed with professionally-reported local news, features, and sports coverage.
