A group of white Utah teenagers are being slammed online for an alleged hate crime after they were seen grinning in a viral video on TikTok while dressed as prisoners and wearing blackface.
The video, posted Halloween night, depicted three kids dressed in prison uniforms with their faces and hands colored black, while another in the group was in a faux police uniform. The group was apparently gathered at a Cedar City Walmart.
“Who are these kids in Cedar City Utah?” the video was captioned. “Please spread this so we can find them!”
Several onlookers near the teens can be seen smirking or laughing in the clip.
“You guys are not going to get into a college,” said the person behind the camera. “You guys are not going to get any scholarships, because this is a hate crime.”
One of the teens then claimed it didn’t matter since they don’t go to school.
“We all dropped out of high school, it’s OK,” said one of the boys before laughing and turning away with the other group members.
“I still don’t think it’s appropriate for you guys to be doing this,” the woman behind the camera retorted. “It’s really not funny.”
While the original TikToker’s video is now private, several other users filmed duets with the clip, one of which has nearly 384,000 views since Monday night.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued a statement concerning the video on Tuesday.
“We strongly condemn racism in all its forms and we call on every Utahn to reject such offensive stereotypes, slurs and attitudes,” said Cox, according to KSL.com. “We must do better.”
One whistleblower in the comments revealed the teens’ alleged identities. The Post has reached out to Cedar High School for comment.
Social media users also called out the kids’ parents for allowing them to leave the house while dressed offensively.
“The sad part is they think it’s OK,” said one user.
“People cease to understand that there is literally No reason to [wear] this as a costume,” fumed another. “This is traumatic for so many.”