Joshua Despres, the teen arrested after allegedly using racial slurs during a high school fight, says he was bullied for months and school administrators did nothing to prevent it.
The Little Compton teenager who was arrested Tuesday following a fight at Portsmouth High School is speaking out and telling his side of the story.
Patch sat down with 18-year-old Joshua Despres and his mother at their Little Compton home Friday.
Despres says he was the victim of bullying for months and that he feels school administrators did nothing to prevent it. The high school senior talks about the fight in the video at right.
Police arrested Despres on a warrant Tuesday and charged him with disorderly conduct. The arrest stemmed from a fight that occurred Monday morning at the high school.
Despres apparently became involved in an argument with a fellow student. The 17-year-old student allegedly punched Despres in the face. The teen was also arrested and charged with assault. His case will be referred to Family Court.
After the fight, Despres, who is half-black, said the “N” word and swore.
The Little Compton teen says he was just angry after being punched. “I’m not racist,” he said. “It wasn’t meant to be derogatory.”
According to police, Despres allegedly continued to act disorderly long after fight. He allegedly yelled and swore at a teacher.
Joshua says he was just angry and reacting after being struck. “Wouldn’t anyone be angry after being punched?” he said.
Despres also says he’s been the victim of bullying by a group of 5 to 6 students since before Christmas break. On Feb. 10, Joshua was sent home early from school. His mother, Nicole J. Osborne Despres, says it was to prevent a fight from happening.
Nicole, who owns her own consulting business and has appeared as a consultant on the TLC program “Hoarding; Buried Alive,” is now considering pulling her son out of the Portsmouth School District after the arrest.
“The staff’s approach to him being bullied is for him to hide,” she said. “…How long can a kid hide?
Joshua Despres is scheduled to appear in court next week. He is also suspended from school for 10 days, during which he’ll “be making up homework,” he said.