Evanston, New Trier high schools respond after marching band report hateful comments at football game
By Jeramie Bizzle, Sara Machi
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EVANSTON, Illinois (WBBM) — Evanston Township High School District 202 and New Trier Township High School District 203 are responding after hateful comments were directed toward Evanston’s marching band during a football game at the new Ryan Field last week.
It was supposed to be a massive rivalry matchup with more than 27,000 tickets sold. Days later, people are still talking about what happened on the sidelines and in the stands.
In a joint statement, the districts said the band was subjected to racist and homophobic comments along with other offensive behavior by New Trier fans during a football game on Friday, Oct. 16. The statement did not detail what the other offensive behavior was.
ETHS color guard members Kevin Watts and Kiro Tabor said they were just moments away from performing with their high school color guard and marching band when they noticed aggressive chants from the opposing student section for NTHS.
They say it started with people shouting ‘f- you,’ but things escalated.
“Somebody was pointing Kevin out, called Kevin the f-slur and then a group of boys had looked at me, called me the N-word a couple of times,” Watts said.
Watts immediately notified their faculty band members following the performance and both students posted about their experience on social media.
School leaders said the event included security from Ryan Field and both schools.
“We were first made aware by our students and then subsequently we received emails from parents and students that corroborated what we had heard Friday night,” said Reine Hanna, director of communications at ETHS.
The districts said they “take these reports extremely seriously and recognize the concern they have caused students, families, and our broader communities.”
“Standing against racism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination is central to the missions of both districts. We have a responsibility to uphold these values through our actions and to teach our students to do the same. Every student deserves to be treated with respect and dignity in our classrooms, in the stands, and wherever students represent our schools,” the districts said.
The districts said they’re investigating the incident and are working on the appropriate steps for action. They said they will respect “student privacy and maintain appropriate confidentiality throughout this process.”
“Friday evening should have been an opportunity to celebrate our students, spirited competition, and the longstanding traditions of our two school communities. For the ETHS Marching Band, it was an especially meaningful opportunity to do what they love: share their talents and proudly represent their school. No student should leave an event where they came to perform, compete, or support their peers feeling that their dignity or belonging were demeaned or called into question,” the statement read.
The rivalry matchup happened just hours after the Illinois High School Association placed Lincoln-Way East High School on probation after five students at the south suburban school were accused of making racist gestures toward Homewood-Flossmoor fans during a September football game.
“I am a little worried that nothing can come of this. This is my worry, but I’m still just happy that we are at least getting to talk about it because what happened was unacceptable,” Watts said.
The schools did not give a timeline for how this investigation would unfold.
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