School mates put noose around black boy’s neck

State President for the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP, Derrick Johnson, left, talks to Stacey Payton, center, with Hollis Payton, right during a press conference in front of the Stone County Courthouse in Wiggins. AP Photo/Max Becherer

State President for the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP, Derrick Johnson, left, talks to Stacey Payton, center, with Hollis Payton, right during a press conference in front of the Stone County Courthouse in Wiggins. AP Photo/Max Becherer

Published Oct 27, 2016

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Wiggins, Mississippi - A black mother in Mississippi says her 15-year-old son was shaking in fear when he described white schoolmates putting a noose around his neck and pulling it tight.

Stacey Payton tells The Associated Press her son bears no physical injury, but she believes the incident has permanently changed him.

He continues attending classes and playing football at Stone High School in Wiggins. However, his mom says he's quieter than usual and the family fears retaliation for having brought attention to the Oct. 13 incident.

Payton says her son told her about the noose a couple of hours after it happened in a locker room. She says he was friends with the boys involved.

The school district's attorney, Sean Courtney, tells AP that only one student was accused of misconduct.

Associated Press

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