An incident at Verrado High School in Buckeye, Arizona, spiraled from a student fundraiser into a national firestorm, resulting in a deluge of threats against the school and students. The catalyst was a single photograph, stripped of its context and amplified by a popular right-wing social media account, demonstrating the real-world impact of online outrage campaigns.
The event began during a student council fundraiser for a student whose family member was battling cancer. As part of the fundraiser, students could pay to have other students hold signs with messages of their choice. A photo was taken of four white students holding a sign that included a racial slur, which had been written by another student who paid for the message.
The Photo’s Amplification and Distorted Context
The image was initially posted on Instagram. From there, it was sent to and published by Libs of TikTok, a social media account known for reposting content to a large, politically motivated audience. The post presented the photo without the full context of the fundraiser, implying the school was sanctioning racism. A Black student, London Jones, who was friends with the students in the photo, was cropped out of the version that went viral.
London Jones later stated that the photo was part of an inside joke between friends and that the students holding the sign were not racist. She explained that another student paid for the sign’s message as part of the fundraising activity.
A Deluge of Threats and Real-World Consequences
Following the photo’s viral spread, the Agua Fria Union High School District and Verrado High School were inundated with violent threats. Superintendent Dennis Runyan confirmed the district received voicemails and emails containing racist language, threats of shootings, and bomb threats. The severity of the threats prompted an increased police presence on campus to ensure student safety.
The students depicted in the photograph were also targeted directly. Their personal information was shared online in a practice known as doxxing, and they received numerous death threats, causing them to fear leaving their homes. The school district conducted an investigation and confirmed that the students involved faced disciplinary action, though specific details were not released due to privacy laws.
Concise Cyber 