Texas high school basketball fans accused of making racist taunts during game

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Two rival Texas high schools have launched a racism investigation at a basketball game after fans allegedly made monkey noises at a player of color and wore offensive costumes.

In a clip from Friday’s showdown obtained by The Daily Beast, a River Road High School player in Amarillo can be seen lining up a shot from the free throw line. The student section of Dalhart High School then erupts in noise, including loud monkey calls.

I think the student section is a great opportunity for student participation. But Dalhart crossed the line tonight, River Road senior Cooper Pierce wrote on Facebook of the incident.

Pierce did not identify the player on the free throw line, but said he was flush.

[Dalhart students] then called one of [the] other players of color the N-Word as he was right in front of their student section, trying to pass the ball, he continued.

Pierce also alleged that Dalhart’s parents called River Road students ghetto, trash and many other extremely disrespectful names after Dalhart’s victory.

I hate this for my peers and especially for my school, he said.

Commenters on Pierces’ post were also outraged by the incident.

The deleted photo of Dalhart students dressed for “Thug night”.

Will show the true face of America, we wrote.

Little or no consequences will occur, but it will bring awareness. Someone teaches racism in homes, schools and among peers.

A Dalhart resident also chimed in, writing that they were embarrassed they treated you all like this.

According to a River Road community source who spoke to The Daily Beast, Dalhart students also dubbed the Friday game Thug night and wore offensive costumes in the stands.

The outlet obtained a photo from the student section of Dalhart which showed the teenagers with fake face tattoos and wearing caps, sunglasses and durags, or fitted caps associated with the community black.

A River Road student posted about the incident on Facebook after the game.

The photo, which has since been deleted from Dalhart High School’s Facebook page, was reportedly captioned Looking a little Thugish here tonight!

Dalhart Independent School District Superintendent Jeff Byrd acknowledged the incident in a news release Monday.

Dalhart ISD will not tolerate racist or discriminatory behavior, he wrote.

The Superintendent of the Dalhart Independent School District released a statement earlier this week. Dalhart ISD

Districts expect all students, including our student-athletes, to communicate respectfully with their opponents and peers from other districts. Likewise, teachers, administrators and coaches must conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times.

Byrd also said administrators were reviewing footage and social media posts from the game, as well as interviews with students and adults who attended.

Any misconduct by students or staff will be promptly addressed in accordance with board policy and applicable codes of conduct, Byrd insisted.

In a statement to The Daily Beast, River Road Superintendent Richard Kelley said the district is concerned about the impact of the incidents on students.

A River Road student took to Facebook to speak out about the incident.

Both parties are currently investigating the situation and we will continue to work towards a resolution. We are very proud of how our athletes and coaches handled a very tense situation, he said.

Dalhart Independent School District and River Road Independent School District did not return requests for comment from The Posts.

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