'I really like the architecture and some of the programs there,' Fuentes said.

Auburn officials refused to comment on or confirm his enrollment, citing student privacy rights. He said he plans to take the fall semester off and then to go to Auburn University in Alabama. He said he decided not to return to Boston University because of the threats he has received and because he wasn't happy with other aspects of the school such as the urban campus and the program of study. 'I don't think it's a surprise that you're going to get a lunatic doing something like that,' he said. Fuentes said he rejects Nazism and condemns the act of the man who drove into the crowd, but believes the violence from counter-protesters spurred violence in return. Some carried Nazi and white supremacy propaganda and shouted anti-Semitic taunts. Video of the protests show many Unite the Right marchers were carrying shields, sticks and some brandished rifles. He said he saw counter-protesters armed with aluminum bats, bottles of feces and urine and cement. Mendoza has been trying to implement a Turning Point USA chapter at the school for the last year and said it was denied due to “false information.” The organization, known for advocating for conservative values on high school and college campuses across the country, has received backlash for promoting white nationalist ideals.Ĭonversely, Sheri Zierdt, a Chinese American parent from Western Springs, stressed the importance of continuing the district’s equity work, citing her own experience being on the receiving end of derogatory racial comments while growing up.Fuentes said the atmosphere at the Charlottesville rally was chaotic. “Equity and belonging means for all, not just students of color - it’s all students.”

“One year since we hired an equity director, we have seen more division, more hate - we saw it in the viral video of a student that was attacked brutally because of the color of her skin,” Mendoza added. Leslie Mendoza, a senior at LTHS, chimed in, saying, “people used to get along - there was no color, no such thing as equity and belonging.” Towne said her two older children graduated from LTHS during a time where, “nobody talked about what color skin they had.” “Many of us think is not an effective program and despite the fact that you may think it is, there are a lot of us that don’t and we saw what happened in the viral video that went all over social media when that attack occurred in the school halls,” said Janelle Towne, Western Springs chapter chair for nonprofit, Awake Illinois.

Lyons township high school obituary