Community BBQ hosted to show support for DCPS middle schooler

CAMBRIDGE — Circulating videos of an incident where a Mace’s Lane middle schooler’s hijab was pulled off her head brought people from near and far to the corner of Washington Street and Greenwood Avenue for a community barbecue.

The May 8 event, organized by mosques in Baltimore and Philadelphia, was created to support sixth grader Tori Gibbs, who is Muslim, and to give attendees the opportunity to learn about Islam.

“Everybody’s invited,” Anwar Wright, an administrator at the Germantown Masjid in Philadelphia, said at the event.

The community barbecue came to fruition after religious leaders at Masjid Al-Hidaayah in Baltimore received videos of the incident, which happened off of school grounds.

“What was relayed was our young Muslim sister was being bullied,” said Sabur Carter, an administrator at Masjid Al-Hidaayah. “Us Muslims, we’re not going to tolerate that. That doesn’t mean, as everybody may think, that we’re going to react with violence. We’re going to react with education.”

According to a letter signed by Baltimore’s Masjid Ad-Da’wah Ilat Tawheed Imam Raha Batts, the videos shows Gibbs “being verbally and physically attacked with her hijab being violently snatched from her head.”

The letter says that those involved chanted Islamic phrases to “taunt” Gibbs. It also says Gibbs was physically assaulted in the presence of the assailant’s father.

Gibbs’ mom, LaToya Gibbs, said in an interview May 9 that it’s been heartbreaking and devastating to see her daughter go through this.

“It’s been really hard on her mental health and mine,” she said.

She said Tori Gibbs will be doing home hospital schooling through the end of the year due to her mental health.

Carter said that when he saw the video, he felt outrage.

“Everybody should feel safe,” he said.

At the barbecue, organizers grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and offered pamphlets and books about Islam for people to peruse.

Along with offering learning opportunities to people in the community, Carter said they came to help foster a peaceful resolution between the children and parents involved in the incident. He said he was able to help make that happen in the early afternoon before the barbecue began.

“We’re not protesting or anything like that,” Carter said about the event. “But we are calling for change. We’re calling for education, and we’re calling for change.”

The same day as the barbecue, LaToya Gibbs said she and faith leaders sat down with Dorchester County Public Schools Interim Superintendent Jymil Thompson. Although she said the district had given her “the runaround” in the past, she said the meeting was a positive one.

“Unfortunately it took for my brothers and sisters to make a post and bring more awareness than I could,” she said about finally getting that meeting.

LaToya Gibbs said that at the meeting, she talked to Thompson about how better communication with parents could have stopped the situation from getting as bad as it did.

According to a statement from DCPS, Thompson called the meeting constructive and said the Gibbs family's concerns were taken seriously.

"The school and community need to work together to prevent small issues becoming big," he said about Imam Raha Batts' suggestion to work together on a bullying awareness program. "It is sensible to use school, where the community’s youngsters come together, to further education against bullying. I look forward to working with the Imam on this project."

In an email, DCPS Communications and Community Outreach Specialist Valerie Goff said that following the meeting, Thompson will be monitoring the situation and checking in with the family.

In an interview May 9, Cambridge Police Chief Justin Todd said that on April 5 the department began investigating the incident, which took place outside a Mace’s Lane Middle student’s home on March 26. He said police did a detailed investigation that included getting video footage of the incident from social media and from city street cameras.

Todd said Rian Johnson, a parent of one of the children involved in the incident, has been charged with conspiracy of assault in the second degree, conspiracy of reckless endangerment, reckless endangerment and contributing to the condition of a child. He said one of the children involved was identified as a juvenile offender but has not been charged. He said the Dorchester County State’s Attorney is looking into whether the offender’s actions could be considered a hate crime.

LaToya Gibbs said the community barbecue resulted in five attendees taking their Shahada, which means they made the decision to convert to Islam. She said two of those five attendees were the fathers of girls in the video that showed Tori Gibbs being attacked.

Tori Gibbs’ great aunt, Kandy Waller, said she just wants her niece to be OK. She said the bullying has been a constant, and she hopes the barbecue results in an end to the bullying and harassment.

“I just want her to be able to enjoy her childhood like everybody else without the threat of violence,” Waller said.

LaToya Gibbs said the barbecue had a positive effect on her Tori.

“She did say she was more confident (seeing) all the people come together and show support for her,” LaToya Gibbs said.

This story has been updated to include comments from DCPS.