Muskego Police are investigating claims that Muskego High School students organized a racist theme within their student section and drew racial slurs and images into the dust of the visiting team’s locker room before a playoff basketball game against Beloit Memorial High School in the southeastern Wisconsin town.
Beloit AD Reaches Out To Muskego High School
Beloit Memorial’s athletics director following the playoff game on March 3, contacted Muskego High School according to a statement from the Muskego-Norway School District on its official Facebook account.
“On Friday night, Muskego High School hosted a competition against Beloit Memorial High School. Following the game’s conclusion, MHS administration received an email from the Athletic Director of Beloit Memorial indicating concerns regarding the theme of the student section and racist images traced in the dust on top of the gymnasium lockers.
We were deeply disappointed and saddened by the information shared. Student safety is our number one priority, and we work to ensure students have a positive and rewarding experience while competing in a safe environment.
We take allegations of this nature very seriously and immediately began the investigation with the support of the Muskego Police Department. The active investigation continues and includes working with the Beloit administrators, interviewing students, reviewing the recorded event and assessing the school environment.
Consequences for inappropriate actions will be prompt. We sincerely apologize for all behaviors that occurred that evening which do not represent the values of Muskego High School or the Muskego-Norway community. Furthermore, we are wholeheartedly dedicated to improving processes that will ensure our commitment of providing an environment that meets the expectations of our community and demonstrates respect for others.”
This should be a relatively simple investigation. If the game was recorded and the MHS student section is visible on the video, the students that engaged in the racist behavior will be easy to identify.
The statement by the Muskego-Norway School District seems hollow, especially the part about the racist actions not representing “the values of Muskego High School or the Muskego-Norway community.”
Where Were The Adults?
At a high school playoff game there are school officials present. Did none of the adults present see what was going on?
A school and a community are composed of people. Those people bring whatever values they adhere to into a school and community environment.
Tanya Karl, the mother of a Beloit player, said the actions were clearly racist and there should be no misinterpretation.
“It was obvious racism,” Tanya Karl said to the Beloit Daily News. “It was obvious that they were trying to intimidate our boys by making them feel smaller. It was appalling that my kid in the locker room — the stuff that was written there, the words they were saying, the chanting they were doing, the monkey sounds they were making.”
Beloit basketball players said that the N-word and swastikas were traced into dust on their lockers. Some of the players took pictures of the lockers with their cellphones. The MHS student section also allegedly organized a “thug” theme in which they dressed in ski masks and tank tops.
If these allegations prove true and the investigation uncovers a coordinated racist incident it will be curious to see how Muskego chooses to handle it. Especially if they want to continue to proclaim the values of their community.
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