Students Support North Carolina Teen Who Was Verbally Bullied and The Suspended for Retaliating

A video taken in a North Carolina high school has started a massive debate around racially targeted bullying. During an altercation between two students at Wake Forest High School, one student became so irate that he resorted to violence.

Micah Speed was the subject of racially insensitive bullying, and he felt that he reached his breaking point. 

"He said things like ... I need to name my son 'Convict' and 'Crackhead' ... because that's what they'll grow up to be," Micah told ABC 11. "He threw the N-word around very loosely, said things that I looked like I bathed in coffee beans and dirt."

One day, Micah was so angry that he grabbed the bullying student's backpack and pulled him back. After the incident, Speed received a 10-day suspension, which has since been reduced to five days.

His friend Tyler Goodell posted the video to Instagram with an explanation defending Speed and condemning the school for not acting against the student who used racial slurs.

After his suspension, Micah's classmates protested against the school for his suspension. 

This happened at my child's high school. Salute to @tyler.goodell and all of the brave kids at Wake Forest High School for doing what's right and standing up for young @Micah_speed. See @tyler.goodell's post below.... #Repost @tyler.goodell ・・・ This is my buddy Micah. We have been through a lot together and he has always had my back and helped me out. Yesterday, he defended himself and his heritage. The white kid has been using racial slurs and black jokes since the class started two months ago. But recently he started taking it too far. He told Micah, " you should name your kids convict and crack head, because that's what they're gonna grow up to be". I don't know if it's just me or not but that upsets me a lot. And it's sad to hear that he left it all alone because the teacher didn't do anything about it and was just as bad for ignoring the behavior in the class. But yesterday it was taken too far, they started arguing back and forth to each other, then the white kid pulls out his phone and shows Micah (and the class) a video of him shooting sawed off shot guns, and saying "I'll kill your whole family, your mom and your sister, i don't care if you're from Chicago I'll be the one to kill you". This also infuriated me quite a lot, this is absolutely ridiculous that no one has done anything about this and let it go as far as it has. So he left the class, being followed by a friend who was trying to calm him down, then the white kid comes out into micahs face and calls him a dumb n*****. This is where Micah walked up to him and pulled him down. And then he proceeds with the racism and says to Micah "f****** black piece of s***. I can not believe the teachers, and bystanders did nothing. The teacher then comes over and says "it was just words, that he had no right to defend himself, and his heritage, and told Micah not to touch her. She also told Micah "you're a punk if you hit a girl". Micah is now suspended for 10+ days and is being charged with bullying and assault on the student. Micah has the biggest heart a human can have in the world. And after all of this has happened, the white student is uncharged, and free, no trouble at all.

A post shared by 9th Wonder (@9thwonder) on Mar 6, 2017 at 8:10am PST

After his suspension, Micah's classmates protested against the school for his suspension.

We got u Micah □□□□ pic.twitter.com/Vdj4o61qeh

— Caleb Thomas (@calebt01) March 6, 2017

Micah, 15, wants everyone to know that the actions he took in the video are not representative of who he is. 

"I want to say I'm not a violent person. That's not who I am ... Everybody who's known me and that knows me currently knows that I try to avoid confrontation and I usually laugh things off, but I was just pushed over the breaking point," Micah said. 

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