This is the part that hurts the most. These are not faceless strangers. These are teachers, firefighters, police officers, coaches, and parents. These are people the community is supposed to trust. People children are told to look up to. People who hold positions that require judgment, character, fairness, and integrity.
So when that kind of ugliness gets exposed racism, bigotry, cruelty, silence, excuses it is not just gossip. It is a reflection of a culture that too many people were willing to tolerate as long as it stayed private.
maybe that is why people are so desperate to keep the sweater from unraveling. Because once the public sees the thread, they may start asking how many people were wearing it.