School Psychologist Under Fire for Twitter Rant About Killing “Young Black Male Thugs”

A Jefferson Parish, Louisiana school psychologist is coming under scrutiny after a series of offensive tweets that called for “young black male thugs” to be “put down like the dog they are.”

Back in January, Mark Trina went on a racially offensive Twitter tirade:

“ANOTHER YOUNG BLACK MALE THUG-NEEDS TO DIE-I PRAY THAT THE VICTIMS FRIENDS GET TO HIM 1ST. SO THE POLICE WON’T HAVE TO KILL HIM,” he tweeted.

Another tweet read, “We are faced with a young Black Army of Thugs who have declared War on the American Way of Life-Holding America Hostage as we speak.” 

One of the most inflammatory tweets stated, “Young Black Thugs who won’t follow the law need to be put down not incarcerated. Put down like the Dogs they are!”

The Southern Poverty Law Center informed the Jefferson Parish school system about Traina’s comments just a day before it filed a law suit against the district with the federal government claiming it discriminates against black students. The law suit alleges the district disproportionately refers black students—who make up less than half of students, but nearly 80-percent of referrals–to alternative schools for minor infractions such a disruptive behavior and forces them “to languish for months.”

Clearly delusional, Trina described himself as “an American Civil Rights Activist who unlike Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton represents all Americans,” and claims he isn’t racist, but his tweet tell a different story.

Traina, who sounds like he needs the psychological services he’s supposed to provide, also attempted to defend himself on NOLA.com, saying:

This is just another way to harass the Jefferson Parish Public School System. One only needs to read the Times Picayune to see who the real trouble makers are. Sadly, it is disproportionately young black males. Everyone knows that our jails throughout the United States are disproportionately filled with black people. Why would the rate be any different in an educational environment?

If his views on the same young black students he’s supposed to be helping wasn’t enough, Traina claims his opinions are based on facts.

“Everything I said is fact-based, backed up by data. I don’t have a prejudiced bone in my body. I’m not a racist. I’m a realist.”

While it’s clear that people like Traina with antiquated, racist views are plentiful (and sadly fall on both sides of the color spectrum), the fact that he has such a negative view of the student he’s supposed to help is extremely problematic.

Minority and impoverished students face a host of challenges and often times fall into negative behaviors that lead them to being caught in the legal system. However, viewing the symptoms (incarceration, drop out rates, teen pregnancy) without looking at its root causes (intuitional racism, unequal schools, generational poverty) does little to fix the problem.