A CNN student panel quickly devolved into cries of racism on Wednesday morning as the students discussed the implications of gun control.
WATCH:
Anchor Alisyn Camerota moderated the panel of six high school students, but she quickly lost control as the children accused each other of racism and argued that the Second Amendment doesn’t apply to people of color.
The panel got off to a heated start as Zyahna Bryant, a 17 year old from Virginia, argued that racial inequalities affect gun violence, while Jacob Scott, a 17 year old from Virginia, shot back that gun control hasn’t lowered violent crime in places like Chicago and Baltimore.
“Who is carrying out these mass shootings? Young white men,” Bryant asserted.
“You’re a racist! Why are you attacking white people?” Scott shot back.
The other students jumped to Bryant’s defense, asserting “that’s not racist, that’s a fact!”
“This mindset, the way that we are socialized in schools as being seen as criminals, as being black bodies, then that is going to contribute to your way of life,” Bryant argued.
Tanzil Philip, a 16-year-old from Marjory Stoneman Douglas, furthered the social justice talking points, claiming that he feels unsafe around guns because he is afraid the police might shoot him.
“I’m walking around and I’m looking at these cops — do they think I’m up to something because of the color of my skin?” Philip said, before declaring that he doesn’t receive the same “airtime” on the news as his white friends.
“Stop playing the race card,” Scott replied angrily, as Bryant launched into a tirade about “white privilege” and claimed that people of color cannot be racist.
The panel continued much the same way for nearly ten minutes.