Parents, students and civil rights activists gathered on Monday, Dec. 23, in front of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Devonshire Department in Northridge to demand justice in what they are calling a racially motivated beating of 13-year-old Sal’Vyion “Sal” Torres. Outrage from the community erupted following an attack on the African American eighth-grade student at Ernest Lawrence Middle School in Chatsworth.
“We want this to be charged as a hate crime because that’s what it was,” said Najee Ali, senior organizer with LA Metropolitan Churches.
On Dec. 6, Sal said he and his friends were helping his grandmother carry items from the school out to her car when, unprompted, an adult assailant, a mid-40s white man and parent at the school, physically assaulted Sal while hurling racial slurs including the N-word. The man reportedly rushed at Sal, grabbed him by the neck, threw him on the ground face down, folded his arm and put his knee in the back of his neck. Sal suffered a concussion, contusion, neck sprain and a closed head injury.
“He had his knee on my neck with all his weight and was just yelling the N-word at me,” recalled Sal. “My neck still hurts when I move it around, it’s sore. And the same thing with my knee. There’s pressure when I step on it and everything.”
Salvador Torres said when he arrived at the school, his son was hysterical, crying out, “He wanted to kill me like George Floyd.”
“It’s very disheartening to know that things like this can happen in our community and in front of his school,” said Adrina Torres, Sal’s mother. “He doesn’t feel safe. They haven’t arrested this man. For some reason, we don’t understand why. LAPD is not helping us at all, no answers, nothing.”
Despite a police report being filed by the parents on behalf of their son, the assailant has not yet been apprehended. Salvador Torres said the family barely received a police report number from LAPD on Saturday night, over two weeks after the incident.
“Since Dec. 6, when this incident happened, we have been given the runaround,” said Salvador Torres, adding that they still haven’t received a copy of the report. “It’s been an emotional roller coaster.”
The family’s attorney, Bradley C. Gage, said they are seeking, “justice, fairness, equality” and want to see action taken to hold people accountable in the case of a hate crime and physical assault on a child. He added that they want the District Attorney’s Office to look at the case and pursue everything that’s legal under the law.
“Everyone deserves an education. No one should be afraid to be at school. No one should be persecuted because of the color of their skin,” said Gage. “Schools, once they know of a problem, have an obligation to take action to protect these kids.”
The Torres family said the school has not reached out to them or provided any type of counseling for their child.
This is not the first time a Black student has reportedly experienced hate from this individual on school grounds. Another parent, Eliza Franklin, said her son Gregory King, another African American eighth-grader at Ernest Lawrence, was approached by the same parent three and half weeks prior. The man allegedly threatened to physically assault Gregory and called him racial slurs.
“This gentleman is a danger to our children, and this is something that needs to be addressed,” said Franklin.
Denisha Jordan, a former teacher at Ernest Lawrence, joined the families to support their demands for justice.
“Anytime you have an adult that’s putting their hands on a child, there is no justification for that,” said Jordan. “For the incident to be racially motivated is even more traumatic for the student.”
Jordan taught physical education at Ernest Lawrence for 14 years but left post-COVID because of the “negative environment” for Black and queer people. She was the only African American teacher at the school when working there, and said she experienced microaggressions from other administrators and staff members.
When one teacher decided to re-enact a slave auction in class, Jordan advised her against it and even supplied the teacher with alternative lesson plans. The teacher’s response was, “I’m not racist. My dad is, but I’m not.”
Jordan said her daughter, who also attended the school, was often pulled out of class to be “randomly searched.”
The attack on Sal may stem from a more widespread issue of racism and hate crimes in the area. The community is now questioning the lack of safety measures and accountability at Ernest Lawrence.
“This is not an isolated incident about racism. It’s a pattern of racism that’s going on in the valley,” said Ali. “The school has failed him. The LAPD has failed him. Without question, had a Black parent assaulted and attacked a white child, that Black parent would have been arrested immediately. He’d be prosecuted. He’d be in jail right now.”
To report a hate crime or incident, or for more information, call 2-1-1 or visit: www.lavshate.org
THIS NEEDS TO BE STOPPED IMMEDIATELY HATE HAS NOT PLACE ANYWHERE IF WE HAVE TO START STAYING STRAPPED AND READY WE WILL AND OUR KIDS
Its chatsworth. There is a skinhead population in the area. As a conservative white male. I dont like it. I grew up in the area playing billiards with my friends who were not white. I was approached about joining their groups and even biker gangs..
I’m very unhappy that this kind of thing is happening in my area. What is wrong with those people anyhow? They should know better!!!
Chatsworth is predominantly White, therefore any/all White gangs or street thugs will be Woods or prison nazis because that’s all that’s allowed in So Cal. Visit El Monte and you got the Surenos, and Cholos because that’s all that’s allowed, and they attack Black folks too. Everything criminal, especially Whites, follow the rules set in prison.
The Surenos in Long Beach have been attacking Crips & non affiliated Blacks. Same in North East Los Angeles, El Monte, Hawaiian Gardens, Santa Ana…it’s getting active again like the 70’s & 80’s. So Cal gang banging is rooted in racism.
This happened to my son at Lawrence Middle School. This school doesn’t protect their students!! My son was on a safety plan put in place by Mr. Renderos and was attacked right in front of them while on said Safety plan. This school needs to be shut down!