Black School Basketball Players Suspended Because Hand Signals ‘Looked Like Gang’ Signs
A Wisconsin school suspended three black basketball players because a photo of them making 3-point signals “looked like” gang signs.
On Jan. 1, the Sheboygan Falls News ran what they hoped would be a feel-good story about Jordan, Jamal and Juwaun Jackson moving to the district and playing basketball for Sheboygan Falls High School. The paper took several photos for the article, but decided to publish the “goofy” photo of the boys joking around in Falcons’ basketball uniforms.
But the school suspended two of the brothers after story ran in the sports section of the paper because parents suspected that the boys were making gang-related hand signs in the photo. The school even had the police department investigate.
“I had no idea,” Jordan Jackson told TMJ News. “They told us it meant blood.”
“I did it like every other kid does it when they make a 3,” he explained. “When you make a 3, everyone does this sign. You’ve probably seen LeBron James or someone do it. I did the 3 in the picture, and my little brother pointed at the camera.”
