Girl Scouts receive racial abuse at animal care meeting

The incident took place in April at the Animal Care and Control Oversight Commission in Maryland

The scouts held up signs at the meeting (ABC 2 News)

Girl Scouts were reportedly racially abused by adults at a meeting about animal care.

ABC 2 News reported that scouts from the Chesapeake Bay Troop 176 in Maryland had attended the Animal Care and Control Oversight Commission meeting to raise concerns about the treatment of animals in Cecil County’s animal control facility.

But a video from 29 April shows adults, who the girls say were supporters of the A Buddy for Life group, shouting at them outside the meeting.

Arianna Spurlock, 13, told ABC 2 News that they said, “Go back to Baltimore, where you belong,” while pointing to her and her sisters.

“They were calling us, like animals and stuff. And I didn’t really know why because if they are calling us animals, aren’t they supposed to be helping animals?”

The video also shows a male co-leader of the scouts, who said: “You guys, no racial comments, okay? Saying that they belong in Baltimore because they’re black -that is wrong. Please don’t say that okay?”

A statement on A Buddy for Life’s Facebook page said: “[The] video does not depict any employee of A Buddy for Life, Inc, engaging in any communications with said Girl Scout Troop… This video clearly shows an altercation between members of the public and the Girl Scout troop.”

“A Buddy for Life, Inc. cannot control the words or actions of citizens that attended that meeting. A Buddy for Life, Inc. does not condone the behaviours that was on display after the meeting.”

ABC 2 news reported that Tari Moore, Cecil County Executive, sent a letter to the Girl Scouts of Chesapeake Bay Council to apologise for what happened after the meeting, adding that abusive behaviour will not be tolerated on county property.

Jayne Mitchell-Werbrich, the troop’s leader, said a police report could not be taken because no crime was committed as a racial slur was not used.