Was watching the news with hub and up came a press conference with Levi Pettit, that 17 year old kid from Highland Park who was doing extremely racist chants on a bus. It wasn't just him but a whole bunch of those kids ALSO KNEW THE CHANT. Have to ask, WHO WAS DRIVING THE BUS and WERE THERE NO CHAPERONES??? It was left to some other kid to use his cell phone to record this? Ugh. 

In the press conference today, behind Pettit was a large bank of black people. He said THIS.

I was just kind of listening but when he got to THIS part, it angered me.(note that the DMN edited out this part in the foregoing link) 

“The people I met with have opened my eyes to things I wasn’t exposed to before this event,” Pettit added during a brief question and answer session, saying he hadn’t understood the hurt his words caused. “I think I knew they were wrong, but I never knew why or how they were wrong.”

Really? How does anyone get to be over 17 years old and talk about hanging people from a tree, including derogatory racists comments and NOT KNOW WHY OR HOW THEY WERE WRONG? Since this was scripted, maybe he could have just left THAT PART OUT?????? Sheesh. 

He didn't seem serious enough AND then he read from a script, rather than looking at the camera and saying words from his heart. He came across completely as insincere. He also would not say anything about where he learned the chant. 

I looked up a bit about him. When all this trouble came out before, did HE apologize? Nope. HIS PARENTS DID.  And they asked for privacy.

We were as shocked and saddened by this news as anyone. Of course, we are sad for our son – but more importantly, we apologize to the community he has hurt. We would also like to apologize to the – entire African American community, University of Oklahoma student body and administration. Our family has the responsibility to apologize, and also to seek forgiveness and reconciliation. 

No. YOUR SON has the responsibility to apologize. Why the fool were the parents taking over that role? If he were 5 years old, that might be understandable but he's at the age to MAN UP for himself. (I do notice that his father owns a business in Ardmore; the cynic in me questions whether THAT was the reason THEY were all apologizing- the dollars and cents reason.

I"m guessing they didn't realize how it made their kid look like a wimp who would not face up to how offensive his actions were. In fact, the Dallas Observer made that comment last week. 

Both statements try to strike a balance between contrition and blame deflection. They also reek of professional help.

"I don't want to cast aspersions on the students' feelings about it, but it was a very polished, measured response. I would have felt a whole lot better if they'd gone on camera and made the apology rather than issuing it through a quote 'written statement from the family,'" says Samra Bufkins, a former crisis public relations specialist and current professor at the University of North Texas. "It could be that they had a family friend in the PR business or they called somebody, but I feel that they definitely had help in writing the statements."

While the statements themselves were well done, Bufkins says, she might have elected to go in a different direction had she been advising the families.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with [getting PR help], but when you're dealing with somebody as young as these guys are, I think it would come across as a lot more sincere and believable if they went on camera, even if they did a YouTube video, and did it themselves," Bufkins says.

And here this week is Pettit, on camera.

And what was up with all the black people standing behind him? I don't get that. It reminds me of when you see some cheating politician haul his wife to stand by his side, which seems grossly ridiculous. Why the heck did they do that? Why not let Young Mr. Pettit stand up for himself and say something in his own words without being flanked by what looked like a dozen black leaders. Michael Dyson

What I saw was the kind of choreography of black support to receive a white young man who has victimized others but who has now turned into a victim himself so to speak. He's the innocent victim of a process. He's a good kid, good looking boy, college student. He did a horrible thing and he's got the black elders surrounding, him putting their hands on his shoulder. I so wish black victims of white supremacy and victims of police brutality could receive the same in return. That white elders could surround them and extend to them an arm of love. I am not besmirching the character of those people or that young man, I'm talking about the choreography. This is the difficulty when we reduce the complexity of a systemic and structural problem to personal interactions. They are necessary, but they are insufficient.

Turns out that this press conference was being held at a church, the Fairview Missionary Baptist Church of Oklahoma City. That was Rev Dr J A Reed Jr standing at Levitt's left. How the heck was this arranged? It is not credible to believe that Pettit attended this church. Did this chuch get something out of this? Did they just want the publicity? Did Senator Pittman attend that church? "Thank you Senator Pittman for inviting me here today"  ABC News.

State Sen. Anastasia Pittman, who chairs the Oklahoma Black Caucus, is hosting his appearance Wednesday afternoon at Fairview Missionary Baptist Church in Oklahoma City

How in the fool did Pittman get involved? Is it possible that the parents of Pettit arranged this through a public relations/damage control firm? I sure noticed on Twitter last night tons of "Pettit apologized" tweets, the same ones, over and over, with a paid one at the top. I had also read that the parents bought a domain right away after this all happened, where they are posting the apology. 

Pettit said he wanted to be a leader now on fighting racism. I can't quibble with someone wanting to fight it but being a leader was gratuitous-he already clearly wanted to be the leader on that horrible chant. Is this really about keeping the *leadership* status he seems to have in his own head that he lost once caught? Since his parents have so much money and a company that spans two states, seems more like they're the ones that orchestrated this little Apollogy Tour. Would have been better for him to do the whole thing, visually, completely by himself. 

Just sign me "Not Convinced".