Hispanic student said he didn’t hear alleged ‘slur’ but actually thought it was a good nickname
There is “no probable cause” to support the claims of racial slurs at a high school basketball game, police say.
Even more, one of the alleged victims didn’t even hear the slur, but when he did, he said he thought it was a funny nickname.
The Tri-City Herald recently obtained the results of a police investigation into a fight that broke out at a high school basketball game in the state of Washington.
“High emotions, mass confusion and unfounded accusations of racial slurs were what likely led to a pair of fights at a February varsity basketball game between the Pasco Bulldogs and visiting Hanford Falcons,” the Herald reported, based on its review of the police report.
Witnesses (to the fight) alleged “the tussles were preceded by the use of racial slurs against Pasco players on the court, specifically during a foul in the third quarter,” the newspaper reported.
But the school resource officer for Pasco High School, Joseph Wysock, “interviewed the game referee and two Pasco coaches. All three denied hearing anything racial, and police were unable to establish any probable cause that slurs had been used.”
“The Hanford assistant coach and a younger student were accused of calling a Pasco player ‘carrot top’ and ‘carrot cake,’” the newspaper reported.
Apparently, this is a racial slur against Latinos – though the victim didn’t think so.
“Pasco has a red-haired Hispanic player,” Wysock wrote in his report. “I interviewed him and he was unaware of these comments being made, nor did he feel that they were racial. In fact, he thought about making them a nickname for himself.”
This incident then is a double hoax – the slur didn’t happen, and even if it did, it is not a slur.
Sadly, this is not the only time in recent memory when parents and students have fought due to hate crime hoaxes.
Earlier this year, a fight broke out at a high school wrestling match allegedly due to racial slurs.
However, an official investigation also debunked the slur allegations.
West Deptford School District Superintendent Brian Gismondi said “there is absolutely no evidence or testimony supporting these serious and defamatory allegations.”
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association reached a similar conclusion after it reported receiving zero complaints, as The Fix previously reported.
Gismondi did the right thing by saying there was no evidence. Other school leaders will acknowledge there is “insufficient evidence” but still grovel and apologize for racism (which didn’t even happen?).
Fort Worth Independent School District apologized earlier this year for claims its fans shouted racial slurs at the Hispanic cheerleaders for an opposing team – even though its own investigator highlighted numerous inconsistencies in the allegations. Furthermore, the investigator could find a single witness to corroborate the cheerleaders’ accusations.
Also a coach, who offered only hearsay “evidence,” had to recant the testimony of a cheerleader who originally made the accusations. Instead, “the team” identified the alleged (unconfirmed) culprits.
By now it should be clear – the presumption should be that allegations of racial slurs are a hoax until proven otherwise.
The stakes are too high and the allegations too serious to carelessly throw around racism accusations without sufficient evidence.
MORE: University of Washington only takes 108 days to report on hate crime hoax
IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: Youths and adults fight over a fake racial slur; Apple Valley News via Zachery Sifuentez/YouTube