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After Boy Injured In Possibly Racially Motivated Incident, N.H. Community Reflects

Late last month, an eight-year-old biracial boy in the predominantly white town of Claremont, New Hampshire was hospitalized after receiving rope burns around his neck.

According to the boy's family, his injuries occurred after a group of teenagers taunted him with racial epithets and threw rocks and sticks at him. No adults witnessed the incident, and it's not entirely clear how a rope ended up around the boy's neck.

The Valley News has reported on both the incident, and the community and police reaction to it.

The paper's news editor, John Gregg, says some residents and activists in the community are upset with the little information being given out by police. Police have said they are bound by confidentiality laws in cases involving juveniles. A group of residents has now organized a "time for reflection" on Tuesday.

John Gregg, news editor of the Valley News, spoke with VPR's Henry Epp. Listen to their conversation above.

Annie Russell was VPR's Deputy News Director. She came to VPR from NPR's Weekends on All Things Considered and WNYC's On The Media. She is a graduate of Columbia Journalism School.
Henry worked for Vermont Public as a reporter from 2017 to 2023.
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