Listen Live
St Jude banner
CLOSE
Empty Classroom

Source: PictureNet / Getty

Students and colleagues of a California teacher are speaking out in his defense following his arrest for punching a 14-year-old student — after the teen called him the N-word.

The New York Post reports that as of Monday, a GoFundMe page created by a woman working in the same Los Angeles district as 64-year-old Maywood Academy High School teacher Marston Riley reached just over half the $50,000 goal.

Cellphone video of the incident shows Riley facing off with the student at the front of the class before punching him. The student hits back but the teacher repeatedly pounds him until he ends up on the floor.

Watch unedited video of the incident below.

Riley was jailed overnight on Friday on suspicion of child abuse. He was released Saturday after posting $50,000 bail, CBS Los Angeles reported. He’s scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 30, authorities said.

The teen was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and released, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office.

Students told KTLA the fight began when Riley asked the student to leave the classroom because he wasn’t properly dressed. The boy refused and hurled racial slurs at the teacher, who is black.

“It was just back and forth, back and forth, and then the teacher just decided to throw a punch and that’s when everything happened,” one student told CBS.

Some students, parents and teachers have defended Riley on social media — believing the racist student got what he deserved.

“We all may have mixed feelings about what happened. But please do know that this is not the first time that Mr. Riley is attacked; physically or verbally. He is a great person and a great teacher,” reads a description on the fundraising page.

“He was a really nice teacher, I always respected him. He always had a really good relationship with every student,” a student told KTLA.

Still, other parents were left disturbed by the incident.

“Just the fact that he’s hitting a child — it’s not right,” one mom told NBC.

 

SOURCE: EURweb.com

Article Courtesy of EURweb

First Picture Courtesy of Mario Tama and Getty Images

Second Picture Courtesy of PictureNet and Getty Images

Tweet and Video Courtesy of Twitter and EURweb

Remembering Aretha Franklin [PHOTOS]
Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular - Performances
36 photos