A student from the viral video showing a confrontation with Native American elder Nathan Phillips has released a written statement giving his version of events at the Lincoln Memorial.
The incident happened as the Indigenous Peoples March and the March for Life crossed paths in Washington, D.C. The video showed a student wearing a Make America Great Again hat standing close to Phillips while others nearby were heard chanting. The school and diocese have since apologized and said they are investigating.
In his statement, the student says he wanted to correct what he calls misinformation about him and his family. He says that when his group arrived, a separate group of four protesters directed insults at the students, and that the students responded with school spirit chants that were meant to drown them out. He says he did not hear any student chant build that wall or anything racist.
The student says Phillips began drumming and walked toward him, stopping within inches of his face. He says he never spoke to Phillips or made aggressive gestures, and that he felt startled and confused. He adds that he stayed calm and said a silent prayer that the situation would not get out of hand.
Phillips has told a different story. In a separate video, he said he heard the group chanting build that wall as he sang, and that the moment brought him to tears.
The two accounts differ, and Baller Alert is presenting both as the competing claims of the people involved.
