ATLANTA — Atlanta police said a child is now in the care of the Georgia Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS) after a disturbing social media post surfaced last week.
The viral video has been shared thousands of times on Instagram and shows a young boy being verbally abused and slapped on the head allegedly by his family for being gay.
The video also appears to zoom in and show “gay” shaved into the side of the boy’s head.
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Atlanta police said a number of people reported the post to them and were able to help them locate the child.
“The behavior in this social media post was difficult to watch and is absolutely unacceptable,” APD said.
A fundraiser for the boy has been set up by Hope Giselle, a local LGBT rights activist, and Devin Barrington-Ward, who is running for Atlanta City Council.
The investigation with DFCS and Atlanta police continues.
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On 6/17/2021, APD’s Special Victims Unit became aware of a social media post depicting maltreatment of a juvenile. SVU investigators began working to identify the location where the activity occurred & to identify the juvenile and all parties involved. https://t.co/Fnb8XRFmBI pic.twitter.com/ruRRWlhfPP
— Atlanta Police Department (@Atlanta_Police) June 21, 2021
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