An elementary school in Oakland was forced to close after someone issued a threat online. That threat that appeared to be racially motivated.
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00:00 This is the threat which Chabot Elementary School received Monday morning.
00:03 At the end, stating, "If you want a race war, we'll give you one, and you won't like how it ends."
00:08 But for us to be receiving these threats and our kids to feel like they're targets is a big problem.
00:14 This sparking an evacuation of the school at 7.30 Tuesday.
00:18 Because it was before school hours, there were only about 30 students inside.
00:22 Other families arriving for student drop-off were quickly turned away.
00:26 And to pull up this morning and have my son rush back to the car as if he was a target,
00:33 it just made everything more magnified.
00:38 Parent Tamila Jackson says the threats started to roll in after the school's Diversity and Inclusion Committee
00:45 hosted a playdate social for black, brown, and AAPI students over the weekend.
00:50 And their original flyer was apparently posted to Reddit.
00:53 The social isn't to exclude any students at all.
00:57 It's to bring the small minority of students that are of color together.
01:03 One parent on the committee who did not want her name used explains the purpose of that playdate.
01:08 It was meant to bridge communities between black and brown families, share resources,
01:15 and also to make the kids feel comfortable seeing other kids and playing with other kids
01:19 that look like them in a predominantly white space.
01:22 Here's Captain Lisa Osmus of the Oakland Police Department.
01:25 I will say that the email had some racial undertones in it,
01:28 and we're currently investigating that right now.
01:31 We have asked the FBI, and they're going to come in and assist us with this investigation.
01:36 Oakland Mayor Shang Tao said in a statement,
01:38 "I am outraged that our children, educators, and neighbors have been targeted by malicious threats.
01:43 My office is in contact with Oakland Unified School District and Oakland Police as we seek answers."
01:50 Police cleared the scene and staff were allowed back inside the building right around noon,
01:54 but class was canceled for students for the rest of the day.
01:57 As far as tomorrow goes, some parents are hesitant to send their kids back.
02:02 People are not in their right mind during these times,
02:06 and I don't know if I'll bring them tomorrow or the next day or the day after that.
02:09 In Oakland, Lina Howland, ABC 7 News.