Editor’s note: On Thursday, The News Courier convened its first meeting of our new editorial board. The board was formed with the goal of giving us ideas and direction on how to cover pressing community issues.

Another goal is to help determine what editorials — like the one you’re reading — should say to properly reflect the diverse and growing population that is Athens and Limestone County.

The names of those who have generously agreed to volunteer for the board can be found in the left-hand column of this page. Some names you may recognize, while others you may not.

We wanted the bipartisan board to reflect the community’s unique diversity. We also wanted strong voices who believe in holding officials accountable.

The following editorial encompasses ideas discussed at the first meeting. We look forward to tackling the wide range of topics discussed and — hopefully — shedding light on issues too often hiding in the dark.

On any other week, the announcement of a new Tier-1 automotive supplier and the prospect of up to 400 new jobs would have been big news.

The $55-million commitment by Toyota Boshoku represents the first North Alabama supplier for the new $1.6-billion Mazda Toyota Manufacturing U.S.A. plant, which will employ 4,000 people when it reaches full capacity. On any other week, it would have been very big news, indeed.

Gov. Kay Ivey made the announcement at Athens City Hall. She was joined by Dr. Shuhei Toyoda, an automotive legend and visionary of the highest caliber. Despite all the warm smiles and handshakes following the announcement, all was not well Wednesday in the city of Athens. Less than 2 miles away at Athens High School, police and school officials were attempting to figure out what had happened just two hours before.

The News Courier heard it on the police scanner as it unfolded around noon — the sound of a panicked police officer; the commotion of loud screaming; calls of “Code Zero”; a dispatcher directing “all available units to the school.” Those of us in the newsroom first thought a shooting had occurred, and we were quite relieved to find that wasn’t the case.

Still, a very ugly situation unfolded in the lobby of the new $60-million Athens High School. School and police officials say the incident was sparked by an angry parent who breached security in an attempt to incite violence. The parent, 39-year-old Amanda Loggins, was angry over what she viewed as an unfair punishment of her child by school officials in connection to an incident that occurred Tuesday at the school.

At any rate, what followed was captured on cellphones by several students. A few of the videos were quickly posted to social media and were already being viewed by Athenians by the time Ivey’s plane landed at Huntsville International Airport.

Upon first glance, the videos are ugly. The one most often played by some media outlets show a white Athens police officer striking a biracial student and knocking her to the ground. In the United States, in 2019, video of a white officer striking anyone who is not white can quickly go viral, and it did. 

Social media was abuzz following the incident with both parents and students forgetting what the word “civility” means. Racial epithets flew as easily as blame. Parents were blamed for not beating their kids enough. Kids were blamed for being entitled. Social media was blamed for making a racial mountain out of a molehill of errors.

That video, however, only told a small part of the story. Members of the media were invited Thursday to see other videos of the incident, all of which appeared to clear Athens police of any wrongdoing. Chief Floyd Johnson explained the officer relied on his training in that instance and temporarily disabled a student who posed a risk to his safety and the safety of others. Anyone who has seen the video will note it’s not exactly a fair fight, because the officer is outnumbered.

It’s easy to play Monday morning quarterback after the fact, but those questioning the officer’s actions should ask himself or herself what they would do in that situation. If being attacked by an angry mob, would you first examine the political and social ramifications of who you are striking, or would you do what is necessary to protect yourself?

There is blame all around here, but — whether you believe it or not — the Athens Police Department can’t be blamed for anything. We instead need to break down the perfect storm of how things got out of hand so fast. Some questions need to be answered, namely:

• What is Athens City Schools’ cellphone policy and does it need to be re-examined? We’re not advocating the school system ban phones entirely, but it may be time to put some checks and balances in place;

• What are parents teaching kids about respect for authority? Twenty years ago, the idea of teens surrounding a police officer and pushing, kicking or hitting the officer would have seemed ludicrous. That time has passed, and we’re in a new reality. It’s time for some parents to take a hard look in the mirror; and

• Is there a growing feeling of racial divide within our city schools? Is the idea of #oneAthens a concept, but not a reality? If that’s the case, we need to figure out how to bridge the gap now. Let’s have some honest and blunt conversations at every level. Let’s find out if some students are being treated differently because of their skin color. If it’s true, let’s change it now.

It is our hope the ugliness of this story fades quickly into obscurity but the lessons learned remain for a lifetime. The News Courier has no interest in pushing a one-sided agenda based on feelings and not facts, and we hope our television news counterparts in Huntsville feel the same way.

We do not need to let a video posted to Facebook for the sake of shares and likes determine the direction of this city and school system. As Athens City Schools said in statement released this week, “This is not who we are.” 

We agree wholeheartedly, but we need to figure out who we are and who we’re going to be. The Toyota Boshoku announcement could be harbinger of wonderful things to come, but what company wants to put down stakes in a city divided by Facebook videos?