A high school basketball game at Pear River High School in Rockland County NY turned ugly after several students in the stands made racists chants against the visitng Nyack High School players. A video from the game shows that whenever a black player from the Nyack team went to the foul line for a free throw, noises meant to sound like a monkey started coming from the crowd.
No action was taken during the game, despite the fact that most in attendance at the game heard the noises and were offended. One mother of a Nyack player at the game, posted the video and said that the noises were being made as soon as during the warmups. One Nyack player said that it happened at least three times during the game.
The Nyack High School community are calling the lack of someone from Pearl River High School, or the Athletics Department, or even the Referees to take any action a missed opportunity. Others are more forceful in their criticisms, calling it “abhorrent behavior,” and asking why nobody didn’t “stop the game and remove the offenders.”
Rockland County Executive Ed Day
Nyack Superintendent Eudes Budhai said, “The Nyack School District and Board of Education stand firmly and resolutely with our student athletes in the wake of the racist and reprehensible behavior displayed by members of the Pearl River community at Wednesday night’s basketball game. We have asked the Pearl River School District for a full investigation and report, and have also asked Section 1 Athletics to review this situation with the safety and mental well-being of our athletes as a top priority.
“This incident is especially disheartening during Black History Month, at a time when we unite as a school community to celebrate the achievments of all Black Americans…We thank our community for their outpouring of support and reaffirm our commitment and efforts to achieve excellence through racial equity here in Nyack Public Schools. We hope these efforts will inspire others in Rockland County to join us. In our diversity and our unity, we remain Nyack-Strong,” said Budhai.
Nyack Coach Ethan Smith tweeted “For me as a coach, it just felt like, this is not a good situation for our players to have to deal with during a high school varsity game.”
Shortly after the Nyack incident, word leaked that the same noises came from the bleachers at Pearl River High School during another basketball game. The second incident happened against Suffern High School
Pearl River Superintendent Marco Pochintesta said that an investigation is underway concerning both incidents, but those responsible individuals have not been identified. “We absolutely find this behavior deeply disturbing, harmful to all of us, and racist…Parents can help by reinforcing with your children the importance of treating all people with respect and dignity. As a community, we must all encourage open dialogue with children about these topics and we must all provide the tools and modeling to help students create a culture in which this type of behavior is not acceptable.”
County Executive Ed Day also spoke out, condemning the actions.
“The type of racist and reprehensible behavior displayed during Wednesday night’s high school basketball game between Pearl River and Nyack has no place in our community, and I condemn it in the strongest terms possible. As a former youth coach myself, it’s particularly disturbing to see our young people subjected to type of racist abuse. While the actions of a few do not define the mindset of the many, it is up to our entire community to treat others with the respect we all deserve and speak out against any and all acts of intolerance.”
Some former graduates of Nyack High School who played on the basketball team said that the racism whenever they played Pearl River had been going on for the past ten years.
Nyack HS Athletic Director Joe Sigillo made an interesting observation when he said, “To see it happen to our boys, in the same gym, with their administration present is something that’s very alarming to me.”
The audacity, or stupidity, of the Pear River students who did this deserves justice, and humiliation upon them. We urge the student or students who had nothing to do with either incident, but who also knows who it is to come forward. You can email us at info@yonkerstimes.com.
