Activists Want Info On 'Deeply Troubling' Vineyard Camp Incident

MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MA — A group of activists from Martha's Vineyard has put together a change.org petition for a participatory investigation into a strap incident occurring at a Chilmark summer camp.

On July 29, two white boys at a camp run at the Chilmark Community Center placed a tent strap around a Black camper's neck. The boys were 8- and 9-years-old, according to a report released in August by the Chilmark Town Affairs Council.

Patch asked Chilmark Community Center officials for a comment and will update this story when we hear back from them.

The petition organizers say the incident is being mishandled and is causing further harm to all community members, especially those in "BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)" communities.

Last month Lawyers for Civil Rights last month asked for a review of policies to increase racial awareness at the camp on the affluent, predominantly white vacation resort off the coast of Massachusetts. It called the act "reminiscent of lynching and ... incredibly disturbing in view of the terrible history and horrifying images that it evoked."

An attorney for the Black child's family released a statement calling for more reforms by the camp, according to the Martha's Vineyard Times. Sophie Hall, the family's attorney, told the newspaper "the attack itself is reminiscent of lynching, even if they (the boys) don't know what it means."

The group also requests a public commitment by the town organizations to create an Island-wide conversation about race - thus becoming role models for Island organizations by making race awareness education mandatory for staff.

Activists say they are "deeply troubled" over the fact that the report filed on August 25 is unsigned. In the petition, they say that by not signing the report, the validity of support from the select board seems to be out of integrity.

The petition adds that they are also "deeply troubled" over the fact that the Black boy asked to not play with the campers in the incident anymore, but the camp has neglected to fulfill that request.

The group organizing the petition says they are not looking to discipline the boys.

"To be clear, our focus is not on shaming or punishing the boys involved. Children do not necessarily understand the impact and implications of the actions they take. Children mirror the culture in which they are raised and they follow the examples they are given," the report says.

Instead, the group wants the camp to handle the situation going forward, involving community listening sessions, accounting for the actions and decisions of all involved that led to a lynching enactment of a Black boy.